The Political Class : Why It Matters Who Our Politicians Are.

Cover -- the POLITICAL CLASS: why it matters who our politicians are -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- Introduction -- The Problem of the Political Class -- Democracy, Representation, Inclusion, and Equality -- Diversity -- A Summary of the Main Argument -- Why You Should Care -- 1: Who or What is the Political Class? -- The Political-Class Narrative I: Personal Characteristics -- The Political-Class Narrative II: Attitudes -- The Political-Class Narrative III: Behaviour -- Conclusion -- 2: The Case for the Defence -- The Defence from Access-Why we Have to Pay our Politicians -- The Defence from Good Intentions-Why the Media Generally Get Politicians Wrong -- The Defence from Party Change -- The Defence from Meritocracy -- The Defence from Depoliticization -- The Defence from 'a Conversation with the Average Voter' -- Conclusion -- 3: The Case for the Prosecution -- The Intrinsic Case against the Political Class -- The Case against the Political Class from Democratic Health -- The Functionalist Case against the Political Class -- The Case against the Political Class from Politics Itself -- The Instrumental Case against the Political Class -- Why We Might Resist an Instrumental Argument -- Conclusion: Reframing the Political-Class Issue as One of (In)equality and Effectiveness -- 4: How to Make the Political Class More Diverse -- Supply and Demand in Political Recruitment -- How Political Parties Could Make the Political Class More Diverse -- A Defence of Quotas of All Kinds -- Making Being a Politician More Compatible with Being a 'Normal Person' -- The Limits of Social Intervention -- Why Randomly Selecting our Representatives Might Solve the Problem of the Political Class -- How Could We Randomly Select Representatives? -- Conclusion -- Conclusion -- Four Lessons.

1. Democracy requires inclusion -- 2. What counts as useful political knowledge is less than clear -- 3. Politics is, and always will be, uncertain -- 4. Uncertainty may best be dealt with by diversity, not expertise -- Why Would Political Actors Seek Reform? -- What to Do? -- Notes -- Introduction -- Chapter 1 -- Chapter 2 -- Chapter 3 -- Chapter 4 -- Conclusion -- Index.

There is a gap between politicians and the general public. The current British political class is widely viewed as uniform in who they are, what they think, and how they behave. A more diverse pool of politicians would not only better reflect democratic principles of equality, but may even result in better political outcomes.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.