Connecting Dyadic and Systemic Representation

What makes us feel represented in politics? There are countless possible answers to this question, but ultimately, all of them seem to fall into two general categories. We either feel represented because we (a) identify a person or group of people as our representatives or because we (b) benefit from the outcomes of a political system, such as paying lower taxes or earning more money. In this paper, I conceptualize these two forms of representation as "dyadic" and "systemic" representation, respectively, and explore how they are linked. Both forms of representation arguably coexist in any political system, each seemingly mattering a great deal for how well political representation works – but what exactly is their connection? I begin by discussing how leading representation theorists have addressed this question, if at all, suggesting that none of their answers are satisfactory. Next, I outline the main theoretical choices that must be made when conceptualizing the dyadic-systemic link, which mostly concern the ontology of political representation. Finally, I argue that the dyadic and systemic levels are connected through individuals and procedures and that we must improve our understanding of both.