Political Representation in Belgium, France and Portugal: MPs and their Constituents in Very Different Politcal Systems

Accessible en ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00344893.2012.720877International audiencePremières lignes : Introduction In many contemporary democracies, how the political system works is questioned. Citizens are showing growing dissatisfaction in their institutions, and trust in their representatives and in political parties is declining (Dalton 2004). The recent financial and economic crisis has even led to some political scientists to wonder whether our system of government is still able to maintain the link with citizens (Mair 2009). And the debate has not been limited to political and social sciences. Within society, but also within political institutions, there have been many discussions for several years on how to restore citizens' trust in democracy. Interestingly, on many occasions, it has appeared that among the solutions proposed, institutions have been very central. And among institutional cures proposed, changes in electoral institutions have been often put to the forefront. One recent example is the UK referendum on alternative vote (AV) in 2011. Though it was probably not the main motivation of this proposal, how this new electoral system would change British democracy, and would potentially re-engag