萨托利代表制民主观念探析

萨托利认为，建立国家层面的政治民主，代表制民主是唯一的选择。代表制既可有效应对直接民主的规模限制、弥合权力名义持有者与实际行使者之间的鸿沟、满足公众舆论的现实条件，又可限制权力、减少政治决策的成本和外部风险，有助于民主可行性的实现。但是，代表制民主只构成萨托利所追求的自由主义民主的必要条件，并不必然导致自由主义民主的实现。同时，代表制民主是国家层面的政治民主，其并不排斥社会层面的参与式民主。

Study of Giovanni Sartori＇s Idea of Representative Democracy

Giovanni Sartori thinks that representative democracy is the only way to build a national-wide political democracy. Representation can solve the size limits that trouble direct democracy. It provides a way to bridge the gap between nominal power and the exercise of power. Based on the condition of public opinion, representation can help to limit political power, reduce the costs and external risks of political decision, and make democracy come true. But what Sartori wants to pursue is liberal democracy, for which representative democracy is just a requisite. In the meantime, representative democracy is the national-wide political democracy; it can run together with the participatory democracy instead of rejecting it on the social level.