Description
Book SynopsisThis volume presents a set of new essays by leading economists, philosophers and political scientists concerned with the normative underpinnings of the state. The Good Polity is devoted to the analysis of detailed substantive issues arising within the normative theory of the state rather than with the exegesis of received views or the polemical statement of alternative positions. The essays are grouped around the themes of democracy, contract and compliance, and the responsibility of the state. Each author provides a detailed and freestanding examination of one aspect of the normative analysis of the state, and the resulting collection clearly displays the growing interaction between academic disciplines. The editors provide an introduction which sets out the analytic prerequisites for the normative theory of the state. The contributors are: Geoffrey Brennan, Joshua Cohen, Partha Dasgupta, Robert Goodin, Alan Hamlin, Russell Hardin, Philip Pettit, Robert Sugden, Albert Weale.
Table of ContentsPreface 1. The Normative Analysis of the State: Some Preliminaries Alan Hamlin and Philip Pettit Part I - Democracy 2. Deliberation and Democratic Legitimacy Joshua Cohen 3. The Limits of Democracy Albert Weale 4. Politics with Romance: Towards a Theory of Democratic Socialism Geoffrey Brennan Part II - Contract and Compliance 5. Maximizing Social Welfare: Is it the Government's Business? Robert Sugden 6. Liberty, Contract and the State Alan Hamlin 7. Political Obligation Russell Hardin Part III - The Responsibility of the State 8. The State as a Moral Agent Robert E. Goodin 9. The Freedom of the City: A Republican Ideal Philip Pettit 10. Power and Control in the Good Polity Partha Dasgupta Bibliography Contributors Index.
