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Trustee model of representation

 

 
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The trustee model of representation is a model of a representative democracy
Representative democracy

File:Electoral democracies.pngRepresentative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of Election individuals representing the people, as opposed to either autocracy or direct democracy....
. Constituents elect their representatives as 'trustees' (or 'entrust' them) for their constituency
Constituency

A constituency is any cohesive body of people bound by shared identity, goals, or loyalty. Constituency can be used to describe a business's customer base and shareholders, or a charity's donors or those it serves....
. These 'trustees' have sufficient autonomy to deliberate and act in favor of the greater common good and national interest
National interest

The national interest, often referred to by the French language term raison d'?tat, is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural....
, even if it means going against the short-term interests of their own constituencies. The model provides a solution to the problem uninformed constituents who lack the necessary knowledge on issues to take an educated position.






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The trustee model of representation is a model of a representative democracy
Representative democracy

File:Electoral democracies.pngRepresentative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of Election individuals representing the people, as opposed to either autocracy or direct democracy....
. Constituents elect their representatives as 'trustees' (or 'entrust' them) for their constituency
Constituency

A constituency is any cohesive body of people bound by shared identity, goals, or loyalty. Constituency can be used to describe a business's customer base and shareholders, or a charity's donors or those it serves....
. These 'trustees' have sufficient autonomy to deliberate and act in favor of the greater common good and national interest
National interest

The national interest, often referred to by the French language term raison d'?tat, is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural....
, even if it means going against the short-term interests of their own constituencies. The model provides a solution to the problem uninformed constituents who lack the necessary knowledge on issues to take an educated position. This model parallels the delegate model of representation
Delegate model of representation

The delegate model of representation is a model of a representative democracy. In this model, constituents elect their representatives as delegates for their constituency....
, which is a model in which the representative is a tribune of the people.

This model was formulated by Edmund Burke
Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist, and philosophy who, after relocating to Great Britain, served for many years in the British House of Commons as a member of the British Whig Party party....
 (1729-1797), an Irish philosopher, who also created the delegate model of representation. In the trustee model, Burke argued that his behavior in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom

The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislature in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories....
 should be informed by his knowledge and experience, allowing him to serve the public interest
Public interest

The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself....
. Indeed, as he put it, "his unbiased opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living. ... Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion". Essentially, a trustee considers an issue and, after hearing all sides of the debate, exercises their own judgment in making decisions about what should be done. "You choose a member, indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not member of Bristol, but he is a member of Parliament". (Burke, 1774). Burke made these statements immediately after being elected, and after his colleague had spoken in favour of coercive instructions being given to representatives; Burke failed to be returned at the next election.

J.S. Mill
John Stuart Mill

John Stuart Mill , United Kingdom philosopher, political economy, civil servant and Parliament of the United Kingdom, was an influential liberalism thinker of the 19th century....
 also championed this model. He stated that while all individuals have a right to be represented, not all political opinions are of equal value. He suggested a model where constituents would receive votes according to their level of education (i.e people with degrees
Bachelor's degree

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three, four, or in some cases and countries, five or six years....
 receiving the most votes, and working class
Working class

Working class is a term used in academic sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe, depending on context and speaker, those employed in specific fields or types of work....
 people receiving the fewest).

Further reading

  • Burke, Edmund. 1774 (1907). Speech to the electors of Bristol on being elected in The Works of the Right Honorable Edmund Burke. Vol. II. New York: Oxford University Press.


External links

  • 'On Liberty' by J.S Mill