Trust and Opposition in Democracy - In Search of Constitutional Law Theory on Representative Democracy

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K03283
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Public law
• Research Institution: Hitotsubashi University
• Principal Investigator: TADANO Masahito 一橋大学, 大学院法学研究科, 教授 (90258278)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 代表民主政 / 信任 / 対抗 / 野党 / 政治法

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study focuses on the current situation in major democracies where the limits of representative democracy centered on elections have been pointed out in various ways. I aimed to formulate a theory related to the substance of democracy from the perspective of constitutional law, examining various elements in both institutional and non-institutional aspects ; namely, parliamentary systems, elections, political parties, participation by citizens, and such. I proceeded to formulate a basic theory on representative democracy from three perspectives: (1) the formation of power through elections, i.e. representative democracy, (2) opposition to power, and (3) politics as an activity to form a common will. In addition to presenting various perspectives that can contribute to the formulation of a general theory on representative democracy, I also explored the institutional reforms that could serve as a remedy for the current situation regarding representative democracy.

Free Research Field

憲法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

既成政党への信頼の低下、有権者の投票行動の不安定化などに示されるように、主要民主主義国では今日、選挙を中心とした民主主義の限界が様々に指摘される。背景には、制度自体の問題だけではなく、社会構造が複雑化する中、安定した民意の指標を見出すことが困難になっていることがある。本研究は、選挙＝権力の信任という側面と同時に、制度的・非制度的回路を通じた様々な対抗という契機にも着目し、憲法学に軸足を置きつつ、様々な観点から、両者の相互作用を通じ民主主義の実質を形成するための理論構築を行った。