The Least Democratic Body In The Developed World

by Stuart Shapiro

I knew the Senate was bad.  Between the disproportionate power of small states and the filibuster, the Senate has long been where legislation to expand rights (including civil rights) went to die.  But I had no idea it was this bad.

Professor [Robert A.] Dahl has calculated the difference between the local government unit with the most voting power and that with the least. The smallest ratio, 1.5, was in Austria, while in Belgium, Spain, India, Germany, Australia and Canada the ratio was never higher than 21 to 1.

In this country, the ratio between Wyoming’s representation and California’s is 66 to 1. By that measure, Professor Dahl found, only Brazil, Argentina and Russia had less democratic chambers.

The entire article is a fascinating study of why the Senate is so undemocratic.  Long ago we made a decision that preserving some degree of sovereignty for the states was more important than equal representation.  And those with less representation have had to live with it ever since.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.