Segmented representation: The reagan white house and disproportionate responsiveness

The relationship between the government and the public is commonly used to characterize the nature of a political system. Populist theories of democracy define this relationship as the close association between the wishes and wants of the country's citizens and the substantive policy decisions of elected government officials. Political representation also can be viewed in symbolic terms; kings, for instance, "stand for" the country (Pitkin 1967). American presidents are often said to "speak for the people." Although political representation has been defined in quite different ways, nearly all portrayals share a focus on the government's relationship with its citizenry. For instance, kings or presidents represent the country as a whole, a member of Congress represents all residents within his or her legislative district, and so on.