Representation and Compromise

Dissent and compromise are essential to democracy. Political parties must debate and fight over the future direction of policy and the best solutions to societal issues. But they must also be able to reach compromises in parliament and within a coalition: on shared policies, on new laws or on amendments to existing legislation. ‘Representation & Compromise. Bringing Voters’ Preferences to the Floor’ is the title of Pola Lehmann’s new book. In it, the co-director of the Manifesto Project examines how parties bring voters’ preferences into the Bundestag, but also when and why they must make compromises in this process. 

Democracy does not work without compromise. This was vividly demonstrated on 6 November 2024, when the ‘traffic light’-coalition in Germany collapsed because no common line could be found on the upcoming budget. This is not a problem unique to Germany: between 2019 and 2025, 11 national parliaments in Europe collapsed because their governments could not agree on compromises over key issues, or because parties were unable to form coalitions. At the same time, the struggle to reach compromises is not an easy task, as the parties have, after all, made political promises to their voters. Deviating from these promises must therefore be well justified. In „Representation & Compromise", political scientist Pola Lehmann examines when and why parties shift their positions between the election campaign and the parliamentary arena, how they express voters’ preferences in plenary debates, and what consequences this has for political representation. 

The book focuses on representation in parliament, an area that has received comparatively little attention in empirical research. The political scientist also explains why a better understanding of parliamentary representation is important for voters, especially at a time when democracies are under pressure from populist actors. Populist parties such as the AfD repeatedly perpetuate the narrative that the established parties fail to act on the voters’ interests, do not address their concerns, and fall short in representing them. 

Combining theoretical insight with an innovative model of representation, the book empirically examines how party positions change between elections and legislative decisions. Using machine learning to analyse election manifestos and parliamentary debates, it offers new data and methods for assessing substantive representation.

11.8.26/kes