Reddit reviews The Principles of Representative Government (Themes in the Social Sciences)
We found 2 Reddit comments about The Principles of Representative Government (Themes in the Social Sciences). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
Seconding /u/ivanthecurious 's suggestion of Manin's Principles of Representative Government, its a really readable historical account of the rise of consent and representation in democracy.
I'm reading JS Mill's 'On Representative Government' and it seems like it might be exactly what you're looking for, not contemporary by any means, but a thorough defence of the principles of representation
I should read this probably:
http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Representative-Government-Themes-Sciences/dp/0521458919/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381850539&sr=1-1&keywords=bernard+manin
>The thesis of this original and provocative book is that representative government should be understood as a combination of democratic and undemocratic elements. Challenging the conventionally held views on the subject, Professor Manin reminds us that while today representative institutions and democracy appear as virtually indistinguishable, when representative government was first established in Europe and America, it was designed in opposition to democracy proper. The author identifies the essential features of democratic institutions and reviews the history of their application.