MPs perceptions of citizens as representatives: Evidence from Iceland

Deliberative and participatory processes have been put in place all over the world to cure supposed democratic deficits in representative democracies. In these processes, which range from deliberative minipublics to participatory budgeting, the average citizen is invited to participate more directly in public decision-making. Even though citizens are at the heart of these processes, politicians still have the power and responsibility to decide how to engage with the results, whether they have policy influence or end up as only interesting experiments. But how do politicians perceive citizens as representatives in the policymaking process? In this exploratory paper, this question is answered with data from interviews with 25 MPs who held seats in the Icelandic parliament in the 2017-2021 elective term. This includes the prime minister, speaker of the house and all eight party leaders. The paper explores beliefs, attitudes and understandings that shape how politicians conceptualize citizens’ contribution to the democratic process. It furthermore contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between elected representatives and non-elected citizen representatives, exposing elite views on deliberative and representative democracy.