Political representation and democratic satisfaction in Spain, differences in perceptions between parlamentarian and citizens

Resumen

The substantive representation implies that policies developed by representatives should be sensitive to the citizens’ opinions (Manin, Prezworski y Stokes, 1999). Consecuently, a representative system must aim to reduce the distance between political elites and citizens (Dalton, 1985). Nevertheless, previous surveys conducted by the CIS (Sociogical Research Centre) have shown an upturn in the lack of trust in politicians and parties over the last decade. This paper is focused on the analysis of the function of the Spanish democracy and it compares the answers given by parlamentarians and citizens. The objective is to find out the ideological congruence about the political representatives perception and the citizens’ satisfaction with democracy