Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 221-236 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Australian Journal of Public Administration |
| Volume | 76 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2017 |
Keywords
- Capital city
- Democracy
- Democratic representation
- Local government
- Property franchise
- Voting
Cite this
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Democratic representation and the property franchise in Australian local government. / Ng, Yee-Fui; Coghill, Ken; Thornton-Smith, Paul; Poblet, Marta.
In: Australian Journal of Public Administration, Vol. 76, No. 2, 06.2017, p. 221-236.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Democratic representation and the property franchise in Australian local government
AU - Ng, Yee-Fui
AU - Coghill, Ken
AU - Thornton-Smith, Paul
AU - Poblet, Marta
PY - 2017/6
Y1 - 2017/6
N2 - Australia remains one of the last liberal democracies to retain a property franchise at the local government level. This particular feature is both the result of historical particularities and contemporary political arrangements. This article analyses the property franchise in the City of Melbourne, the capital of the Australian State of Victoria, based on democratic theory and an empirical study. It illustrates the tensions between the democratic principles of representation and political equality in defining structures for representation at the local government level. The authors suggest that a more nuanced interpretation of representation can be adopted at a local level based on territorial residency rather than legal citizenship. Despite this, based on analysis of both electoral and non-electoral mechanisms, the property franchises are found to be anachronistic and indefensible from a democratic perspective and unrelated to the status of capital city. The article concludes that, at a local level, deliberative democracy holds the promise to better represent various interests, including property interests.
AB - Australia remains one of the last liberal democracies to retain a property franchise at the local government level. This particular feature is both the result of historical particularities and contemporary political arrangements. This article analyses the property franchise in the City of Melbourne, the capital of the Australian State of Victoria, based on democratic theory and an empirical study. It illustrates the tensions between the democratic principles of representation and political equality in defining structures for representation at the local government level. The authors suggest that a more nuanced interpretation of representation can be adopted at a local level based on territorial residency rather than legal citizenship. Despite this, based on analysis of both electoral and non-electoral mechanisms, the property franchises are found to be anachronistic and indefensible from a democratic perspective and unrelated to the status of capital city. The article concludes that, at a local level, deliberative democracy holds the promise to better represent various interests, including property interests.
KW - Capital city
KW - Democracy
KW - Democratic representation
KW - Local government
KW - Property franchise
KW - Voting
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84992453307&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1467-8500.12217
DO - 10.1111/1467-8500.12217
M3 - Article
VL - 76
SP - 221
EP - 236
JO - Australian Journal of Public Administration
JF - Australian Journal of Public Administration
SN - 0313-6647
IS - 2
ER -