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Full-Text Articles in Political Theory

Reconciling Liberalism And Judaism? Human Rights In Israel, Raphael Cohen-Almagor Jun 2014

Reconciling Liberalism And Judaism? Human Rights In Israel, Raphael Cohen-Almagor

raphael cohen-almagor

This essay argues that mixing religion in politics is problematic. It becomes destructive when the religion is unyielding and coercive. Whenever religious powers are on the rise, the foundations of liberal democracy are shaken and its protective mechanisms are regressing. Indeed, in Israel egalitarianism is still in the making. Orthodox Judaism and liberal democracy are in conflict. The rise of one comes at the expense of the other in a situation where religion does not encompass the concept of freedom from religion. This essay further argues that Palestinians and Israelis are entitled to the same rights and liberties. Accommodations and …


Public Reason As Higher Law, Gordon D. Ballingrud Jan 2014

Public Reason As Higher Law, Gordon D. Ballingrud

Gordon D Ballingrud

This paper presents a model of higher-law formation by employing a modified version of John Rawls’ idea of public reason. The model specifies a theory of public reason that combines the procedural and substantive aspects of public reason, and extends the concept over a third dimension, time. This concept, by virtue of its multi-generational democratic pedigree, forms a repository of political and legal concepts of justice that conform to the duty of civility, and the broad consensus on political and legal norms required of the content of public reason, which forms the overlapping consensus. Thus, public reason as higher law …


Between Politics And Science: The Dilemma Of Reason, Roozbeh (Rudy) B. Baker, Zoran S. Nikolić Jan 2014

Between Politics And Science: The Dilemma Of Reason, Roozbeh (Rudy) B. Baker, Zoran S. Nikolić

Roozbeh (Rudy) B. Baker

Curiosity, our deepest inner intellectual need and concern brought about what we today call science. This Article will try to address the problem of the interrelation between politics and science. There is no need to discuss which of the two came first, but rather the real question is to what extent can science influence the political process? Can it help proper decision-making and, if it can, to what extent? Decision-making is most often prefixed with the term political. Can the intellectual class representing the world of science have an influence on political decision-making? As C. Wright Mills rightly noticed, if …


Legitimation, Mark C. Modak-Truran Jan 2014

Legitimation, Mark C. Modak-Truran

Mark C Modak-Truran

This article identifies three different conceptions of legitimation - pre-modern, modern, and post-secular - that compete both within and across national boundaries for the coveted prize of informing the social imaginary regarding how the government and the law should be legitimated in constitutional democracies. Pre-modern conceptions of legitimation consider governments and rulers legitimate if they are ordained by God or if the political system is ordered in accordance with the normative cosmic order. Contemporary proponents of the pre-modern conception range from those in the United States who maintain that the government has been legitimated by the “Judeo-Christian tradition” to those …


Supermayorías A Nivel Legislativo. Los Problemas Del Debate Y Una Propuesta Metodológica, Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl Jan 2014

Supermayorías A Nivel Legislativo. Los Problemas Del Debate Y Una Propuesta Metodológica, Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl

Sergio Verdugo R.

Se analiza el debate institucional relativo a si deben o no permanecer los quórums legislativos súper-mayoritarios (esto es, aquellos mayores a la mayoría simple) en la Constitución. El autor critica la manera en que la discusión ha tenido lugar desde la perspectiva académica. Luego, revisa los alcances y límites de los argumentos favorables a las supermayorías, defendiendo la idea de que ellas pueden servir de forma instrumental algunos fines legítimos que son compatibles con la democracia. Las implicancias de este trabajo alcanzan a algunas leyes orgánicas constitucionales y, también, a las leyes de quórum calificado, a las que se les …


Justice Stewart Meets The Press, Keith Bybee Jan 2014

Justice Stewart Meets The Press, Keith Bybee

Keith J. Bybee

Among the Supreme Court Justices who have articulated distinctive views of free expression, Justice Potter Stewart alone placed particular emphasis on the First Amendment's protection of a free press. Drawing upon the lessons of history, the plain language of the Constitution, the political events of his day, and his own personal experience, Stewart argued that the organized news media should be considered an essential part of the checks-and-balances competition between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government. Stewart’s emphasis on the special structural function of the established press placed him at odds with most of his colleagues …


The Killer Idea: How Some Gunslinging Anarchists Held Freedom Of Speech At Gunpoint, Gert A. Van Vugt Msc Nov 2013

The Killer Idea: How Some Gunslinging Anarchists Held Freedom Of Speech At Gunpoint, Gert A. Van Vugt Msc

Gert A van Vugt MSc

In May 2013, the first all-plastic, 3D printed gun was fired. This paper offers a detailed description of the origins and development of the printable gun. It elucidates the transformation of the principal narrative in the increasing media coverage from circumventing arms regulation to defending free speech, highlighting the role of Defense Distributed and their strategic framing of the printable gun. Finally, the uptake of the latter narrative by early popular and scholarly contributions is discussed. The paper highlights the political impact of narrative formation in debates about regulating 3D printing and the communication of printable designs, and suggests an …


Voice Without Say: Why Capital-Managed Firms Aren’T (Genuinely) Participatory, Justin Schwartz Aug 2013

Voice Without Say: Why Capital-Managed Firms Aren’T (Genuinely) Participatory, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

Why are most capitalist enterprises of any size organized as authoritarian bureaucracies rather than incorporating genuine employee participation that would give the workers real authority? Even firms with employee participation programs leave virtually all decision-making power in the hands of management. The standard answer is that hierarchy is more economically efficient than any sort of genuine participation, so that participatory firms would be less productive and lose out to more traditional competitors. This answer is indefensible. After surveying the history, legal status, and varieties of employee participation, I examine and reject as question-begging the argument that the rarity of genuine …


A Theory Without A Movement, A Hope Without A Name: The Future Of Marxism In A Post-Marxist World, Justin Schwartz Jun 2013

A Theory Without A Movement, A Hope Without A Name: The Future Of Marxism In A Post-Marxist World, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

Just as Marx's insights into capitalism have been most strikingly vindicated by the rise of neoliberalism and the near-collapse of the world economy, Marxism as social movement has become bereft of support. Is there any point in people who find Marx's analysis useful in clinging to the term "Marxism" - which Marx himself rejected -- at time when self-identified Marxist organizations and societies have collapsed or renounced the identification, and Marxism own working class constituency rejects the term? I set aside bad reasons to give on "Marxism," such as that the theory is purportedly refuted, that its adoption leads necessarily …


Neoliberalism And The Law Reassessing Historical Materialist Analysis Of The Law For The 21st Century, Justin Schwartz Jan 2013

Neoliberalism And The Law Reassessing Historical Materialist Analysis Of The Law For The 21st Century, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

Historical materialism has been called in question by the triumph of neoliberalism and the fall of Communism. I show, by consideration of two examples, the 2008 crisis and recent Supreme Court campaign spending First Amendment jurisprudence, that neoliberalism instead vindicates the explanatory power of (non-mechanical and non-deterministic) historical materialism in accounting for a wide range of recent legal developments in legislation, executive (in)action, and judicial decision-making.


Neoliberalism And The Law: How Historical Materialism Can Illuminate Recent Governmental And Judicial Decision Making, Justin Schwartz Jan 2013

Neoliberalism And The Law: How Historical Materialism Can Illuminate Recent Governmental And Judicial Decision Making, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

Neoliberalism can be understood as the deregulation of the economy from political control by deliberate action or inaction of the state. As such it is both constituted by the law and deeply affects it. I show how the methods of historical materialism can illuminate this phenomenon in all three branches of the the U.S. government. Considering the example the global financial crisis of 2007-08 that began with the housing bubble developing from trade in unregulated and overvalued mortgage backed securities, I show how the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, which established a firewall between commercial and investment banking, allowed this …


Wie Doet Wat? Over De Rede Van David Cameron En De Verdeling Van Bevoegdheden Tussen De Europese Unie En De Lidstaten, Jan M. Smits Jan 2013

Wie Doet Wat? Over De Rede Van David Cameron En De Verdeling Van Bevoegdheden Tussen De Europese Unie En De Lidstaten, Jan M. Smits

Jan M Smits

De verdeling van bevoegdheden tussen de Europese Unie en de lidstaten staat sterk in de belangstelling. In deze bijdrage wordt ingegaan op de vraag of meer te zeggen valt over wie wat moet doen in Europa. Onderzocht wordt welke bijdrage juristen, economen en politicologen tot nu toe aan dit debat hebben geleverd. Vervolgens wordt een aanzet gedaan voor de ontwikkeling van een kader dat kan helpen om de vraag naar de optimale bevoegdheidsverdeling te beantwoorden.


Smart Power For Hard Problems: The Role Of Special Operation Forces Strengthening The Rule Of Law And Human Rights In Africa, Kevin H. Govern Jan 2013

Smart Power For Hard Problems: The Role Of Special Operation Forces Strengthening The Rule Of Law And Human Rights In Africa, Kevin H. Govern

Kevin H. Govern

This article will assess the roles and responsibilities of Special Operations Forces (SOF) within the newly created U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) as an active proponent of a so-called “smart power” national security strategy. In particular, it will outline the economic, political, and military challenges faced in Africa; specifically, how and why SOCAFRICA is the U.S. force of choice for promoting human rights and rule of law in Africa. With the goals of the U.S. military in mind, questions will necessarily arise as to “what success looks like” for both the U.S. and African nations, and the roles of each in …


Democratic Objection Against Judicial Review Of Legislation. Institutional Design Alternatives And Constitutional Theories, Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl Jan 2013

Democratic Objection Against Judicial Review Of Legislation. Institutional Design Alternatives And Constitutional Theories, Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl

Sergio Verdugo R.

This article reviews the argument through which judicial review of legislation approved by popularly elected bodies, based on the authority of judges who are in a position of preeminence on the other branches of government, is contrary to democracy. Taking Jeremy Waldron´s argument as a central reference, the author discusses some of the assumptions on which the democratic objection of judicial review is elaborated. He argues that separating the notion of constitutional supremacy from the idea of judicial supremacy would allow building a model that overcomes the democratic problem. The author reviews some alternatives provided by institutional designs, and analyses …


El Precedente En El Tribunal Constitucional: ¿Doctrina Judicial O Compromiso Con Votos Particulares?, Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl, Nicolás Galli Aug 2012

El Precedente En El Tribunal Constitucional: ¿Doctrina Judicial O Compromiso Con Votos Particulares?, Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl, Nicolás Galli

Sergio Verdugo R.

Se propone una metodología para evaluar la predictibilidad de las sentencias del Tribunal Constitucional considerando la coherencia experimentada en los votos individuales de sus ministros. Tomando algunos casos considerados especialmente relevantes por especialistas consultados, y observando que los ministros disidentes no suelen modificar sus posiciones para seguir las posiciones de la mayoría en casos futuros, se concluye que la mantención de las doctrinas del Tribunal Constitucional dependerá en gran medida de la composición del mismo, y no solamente de lo que se haya expresado en sentencias precedentes.


Radiography To The Chilean Human Rights Institution: Between Law And Politics, Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl, José Francisco Garía Jul 2012

Radiography To The Chilean Human Rights Institution: Between Law And Politics, Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl, José Francisco Garía

Sergio Verdugo R.

The article examines the fundamental recommendations for the national human rights institutions (NHRI) to function with proper autonomy against the state and, also, against NGOs that try to capture the commission´s agenda. The authors analyse the institutional design of the Chilean Human Rights Institution (INDH) and evaluates the profile and the nomination process of its membership. The paper provides evidence that demonstrates that the INDH´s research agenda is associated with a partial political view. Then, the authors suggest certain changes to strengthen the independence of the INDH.


Aspectos Democraticos De La Ley De Ordenamiento Territorial Y Usos Del Suelo De La Provincia De Mendoza Nª 8051, Luis Gabriel Escobar Blanco Jun 2012

Aspectos Democraticos De La Ley De Ordenamiento Territorial Y Usos Del Suelo De La Provincia De Mendoza Nª 8051, Luis Gabriel Escobar Blanco

Luis Gabriel Escobar Blanco

In these times when direct forms of democracy burst before formal institutions, the Land Use Planning Law in the Province of Mendoza is presented as valid and democratic alternative, which integrates direct citizen participation with the constitutional representative principle, contemplating identity cultural as a valid indicator for the management modelThis Law Nº 8051 formalizes and concrete the spirit of the quintessential democratic in three principles: government of the people, by the people and for the people. And we add our tradition the principle "the people want to know what it is"


Argumentación Constitucional, Leonardo García Jaramillo Apr 2012

Argumentación Constitucional, Leonardo García Jaramillo

Leonardo García Jaramillo

No abstract provided.


Webs Of Faith As A Source Of Reasonable Disagreement, Gregory Brazeal Jan 2012

Webs Of Faith As A Source Of Reasonable Disagreement, Gregory Brazeal

Gregory Brazeal

Contemporary political theorists and philosophers of epistemology and religion have often drawn attention to the problem of reasonable disagreement. The idea that deliberators may reasonably persist in a disagreement even under ideal deliberative conditions and even over the long term poses a challenge to the common assumption that rationality should lead to consensus. This essay proposes a previously unrecognized source of reasonable disagreement, based on the notion that an individual's beliefs are rationally related to one another in a fabric of sentences or web of beliefs. The essay argues that an individual's beliefs may not form a single, seamless web, …


Godsdienst Als Hype, Wouter H. De Been Jan 2012

Godsdienst Als Hype, Wouter H. De Been

Wouter H. de Been

No abstract provided.


El Individuo Y La Comunidad. Aeon J. Skoble, Mario Šilar Jan 2012

El Individuo Y La Comunidad. Aeon J. Skoble, Mario Šilar

Mario Šilar

No abstract provided.


El Fracaso: Su Utilidad Personal Y Social, Mario Šilar Jan 2012

El Fracaso: Su Utilidad Personal Y Social, Mario Šilar

Mario Šilar

No abstract provided.


American Stewardship: A Path Already Laid (Conference Draft), Colin W. Maguire Jan 2012

American Stewardship: A Path Already Laid (Conference Draft), Colin W. Maguire

Colin W. Maguire

The United States of America continues to be a global leader in many economic and social areas. However, the environmental movement has been given a lukewarm response in America. Far from being a global leader, the United States lags behind in the implementation of green building technology, efficient automobile use, and renewable energy technology. It is a tragedy that is slowly being addressed but one that is often an issue divided along political lines. American conservatives, whether calling themselves Republicans, Libertarians, or Independents, often lament the progressive underpinnings of the green movement and fail to give full support to green …


"The Endurance Of National Constitutions", Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl Jan 2012

"The Endurance Of National Constitutions", Sergio Verdugo Sverdugor@Udd.Cl

Sergio Verdugo R.

No abstract provided.


Free The Market. Peter J. Boettke. Spanish Translation, Mario Šilar Oct 2011

Free The Market. Peter J. Boettke. Spanish Translation, Mario Šilar

Mario Šilar

No abstract provided.


Unanswered Questions Of A Minority People In International Law: A Comparative Study Between Southern Cameroons & South Sudan, Bernard Sama Mr Oct 2011

Unanswered Questions Of A Minority People In International Law: A Comparative Study Between Southern Cameroons & South Sudan, Bernard Sama Mr

Bernard Sama

The month July of 2011 marked the birth of another nation in the World. The distressful journey of a minority people under the watchful eyes of the international community finally paid off with a new nation called the South Sudan . As I watched the South Sudanese celebrate independence on 9 July 2011, I was filled with joy as though they have finally landed. On a promising note, I read the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying “[t]ogether, we welcome the Republic of South Sudan to the community of nations. Together, we affirm our commitment to helping it meet its …


Collective Choice, Justin Schwartz May 2011

Collective Choice, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

This short piece is a contribution to The Encylopedia of Global Justice (ed. D.K. Chatterjee) (forthcoming from Springer Verlag May 2011). It summarizes the state of reserach on the problem for collective choice discovered by Kenneth Arrow in his Impossibility Theorem. In 1951 Arrow proved that a set of four or five (depending on how one counts them) minimal constraints that seem constitutive of democratic decisionmaking, including nondictatorship and rational consistency, are mutually incompatible. This created the burgeoning field of Social Choice Theory. I explain the problem in nontechnical terms, explore its implications especially for global justice, and review the …


How Much Does A Belief Cost?: Revisiting The Marketplace Of Ideas, Gregory Brazeal Jan 2011

How Much Does A Belief Cost?: Revisiting The Marketplace Of Ideas, Gregory Brazeal

Gregory Brazeal

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. is often credited with creating the metaphor of “the marketplace of ideas,” though he did not use the exact phrase and his argument for free speech was not based on distinctively economic reasoning. Truly economic investigations of the marketplace of ideas have progressed in step with developments and trends in the law and economics literature. These investigations have tended to be one-sided, with writers focusing primarily either on the production of ideas (for example, Posner) or their consumption (for example, behavioral law and economics), without considering in depth how producers and consumers interact. This may …


Collective Choice, Justin Schwartz Jan 2011

Collective Choice, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

This short nontechnical article reviews the Arrow Impossibility Theorem and its implications for rational democratic decisionmaking. In the 1950s, economist Kenneth J. Arrow proved that no method for producing a unique social choice involving at least three choices and three actors could satisfy four seemingly obvious constraints that are practically constitutive of democratic decisionmaking. Any such method must violate such a constraint and risks leading to disturbingly irrational results such and Condorcet cycling. I explain the theorem in plain, nonmathematical language, and discuss the history, range, and prospects of avoiding what seems like a fundamental theoretical challenge to the possibility …


Collective Choice, Justin Schwartz Jan 2011

Collective Choice, Justin Schwartz

Justin Schwartz

This short nontechnical article reviews the Arrow Impossibility Theorem and its implications for rational democratic decisionmaking. In the 1950s, economist Kenneth J. Arrow proved that no method for producing a unique social choice involving at least three choices and three actors could satisfy four seemingly obvious constraints that are practically constitutive of democratic decisionmaking. Any such method must violate such a constraint and risks leading to disturbingly irrational results such and Condorcet cycling. I explain the theorem in plain, nonmathematical language, and discuss the history, range, and prospects of avoiding what seems like a fundamental theoretical challenge to the possibility …