The Good Polity

This 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.

Preface vii 1 The Normative Analysis of the State: Some Preliminaries Alan Hamlin and Philip Pettit 2 Part I Democracy 2 Deliberation and Democratic Legitimacy Joshua Cohen 15 3 The Limits of Democracy Albert Weale 17 4 Politics with Romance: Towards a Theory of Democratic Socialism Geoffrey Brennan 35 Part II Contract and Compliance 5 Maximizing Social Welfare: Is it the Government's Business? Robert Sugden 49 6 Liberty, Contract and the State Alan Hamlin 87 7 Political Obligation Russell Hardin 103 Part III The Responsibility of the State 8 The State as a Moral Agent Robert E. Goodin 123 9 The Freedom of the City: A Republican Ideal Philip Pettit 141 10 Power and Control in the Good Polity Partha Dasgupta 169 Bibliography 191 Contributors 201 Index 203