The Great Recession

Abstract: Did the Great Recession of 2007–09 matter for political representation? Surveying the literature and using the chain of representation as a framework, this entry makes two main points. First, initial fears of a breakdown of democratic representation were unfounded. The Recession at first signaled a return to more responsive politics. By raising the salience of issues like debt, taxes, and social services, the crisis acted as an antidote to representation's downward slide in the face of economic interdependence and party extremism. With time, however, this optimistic take was tempered by elite tendencies to heed markets rather than citizens. The politics surrounding the Great Recession shows how professional elites can use their informational advantage to cushion the downside effects of making hard choices.