ABSTRACT
Political elites are nowadays often the target of many publics. However, this topic is discussed for long already actually as long as the Liberal Democratic model exists. In fact, it has grown from the time that universal suffrage was introduced. The central issue of Section 1 is whether or not powers are dispersed or concentrated due to the system of representation. Protagonists of the elite theory are adamant: however democratic a polity may appear, elitism is inevitable as Section 2 reports. Yet, others, the “pluralists” maintain that political parties channel societal preferences and differences and are effectively represented. This crucial question treated in Section 3 and Section 4 is in large part due to the fact that representative government implies indirect power of the people and is only executed when elections take place. We conclude the chapter by arguing that there may be truth in both positions but that at the end of the day political and policy performance is what counts for those who are represented. In other words: Is the representative governance responsive and effective?
