EPISODE · Apr 8, 2026 · 38 MIN
Should Politicians Follow Public Opinion or Lead? Are Citizens and Politicians on the Same Page?
from Reasonably Political · host Semih Çakır
In this episode, I sit down with Philippe Mongrain to explore how citizens and politicians think about representation, and what happens when they are not on the same page.Drawing on evidence from 13 democracies, Philippe and his co-authors, Nino Junius and Nathalie Brack, show that most people don’t want politicians to simply follow public opinion—but also don’t want them to ignore it. At the same time, they find that politicians tend to see their role differently, placing more emphasis on leadership than on acting as a transmission belt for public opinion.This episode breaks down a key tension at the heart of modern democracies, and why it may help explain why so many people feel unrepresented today.The research discussed in this episode is based on: “As You Wish? Public Preferences for Models of Representation and MPs’ Role Orientations,” published in the European Journal of Political Research.
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In this episode, I sit down with Philippe Mongrain to explore how citizens and politicians think about representation, and what happens when they are not on the same page. Drawing on evidence from 13 democracies, Philippe and his co-authors, Nino Junius and Nathalie Brack, show that most people don’t want politicians to simply follow public opinion—but also don’t want them to ignore it. At the same time, they find that politicians tend to see their role differently, placing more emphasis on...
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Should Politicians Follow Public Opinion or Lead? Are Citizens and Politicians on the Same Page?
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