Theories of Justice and Democracy (21712)
Study/degree: Polítical and Administration Sciences
Year: 3rd i 4th
Term: 3rd
Number of credits ECTS: 4 credits ECTS
Hours dedication student: 100 hours
Language of teaching: English
Professor: Josep Costa i Rosselló
1. Presentation of the course
Democracy and justice are ideas that have gone hand in hand in the recent history of political thought. However, these two central concepts have not been exempt from controversy and disputes that have generated passionate theoretical debates. The legitimacy of democracy happens to look for a certain definition of justice and vice versa. This course aims to study these two concepts together through a review of the main streams of thought and models of democracy and justice.
Today the reality of liberal democracies is full of tensions, dilemmas, contradictions and conflicts that have their origin in the same conceptions of democracy and justice. Schools of thought such as egalitarian liberalism, nationalism, cosmopolitanism, feminism, libertarianism, environmentalism, etc. seem to be incompatible in many aspects. With these issues as a background in this course we will address contemporary ideas of political thinkers such as Rawls, Walzer, Kymlicka, Van Parijs, Miller or Dobson. We will look for responses to the tensions that are living our democracies and we will acquire tools for thinking better in twenty first century.
2. Skills
- Capacity of analysis and synthesis.
- Oral presentation and written argumentation on the topics of the course.
- Philosophical discussion in English.
- Ability to identify and resolve challenges.
- Distinguish the main schools of classical political thought.
- Recognize the contemporary political theories.
3. Contents and course readings:
Unit. 1 - Political Theory, Justice and Democracy
This unit introduces the basic concepts of the course and raises questions about the main object of theories of justice and democracy.
- Valentini, L. (2010), "Justice and democracy", SJ012 Working Paper, Oxford.
- Forst, R. (2011), "Transnational Justice and Democracy", Normative Orders Working Paper 04/2011.
Unit. 2 - The People, the Society and the Demos
Theories of justice and democracy have taken for granted the existence of a people or society (a 'demos'). In this unit we will see that these concepts are also fundamentally contested.
- Walzer, M. (1983), Spheres of Justice. New York: Basic Books. (Chapter 2: "Membership")
- Stephen Tierney, S. (2012), Constitutional Referendums: The Theory and Practice of Republican Deliberation. Oxford: OUP. (Chapter 3: "Framing 'the People': Constitutional Referendums and the Demos").
Unit. 3 - Self-determination and Secession
One way in which the 'demos' is contested is by the attempts to break up existing nation states, and the creation of new ones. What do theories of Justice and Democracy have to say about this?
- Buchanan, A. (1991), Secession. The morality of Political Divorce from Port Sumter to Lithuania and Quebec, Oxford: Westview Press.
- Costa, J. (2003), 'On Theories of Secession: Minorities, Majorities, and the Multinational State', in Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 6 (2), pp. 63-90.
Unit 4. Individual rights and Social Justice: Liberal Egalitarianism
What are the requirements of justice in well ordered societies? The protection of individual rights against majority rule, and the fair distribution of those rights, as well as resources and opportunities are the main concern of egalitarians.
- Kymlicka, W. (2002) "Liberal Equality" in Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction, Oxford University Press
- Van Parijs, Ph. (2006), "Basic Income: A simple and Powerful Idea for the Twenty First Century", in Redesigning Distribution: Basic Income and Stakeholder Grants as Cornerstones of a More Egalitarian Capitalism (E. O. Wright ed.), London & New York: Verso, 3-42.
Unit 5.- Democracy and the Constitution.
Can there be a conflict between democracy and the constitutional structure of a state? To what extent can the constitution be a limit on the exercise of democracy?
- Kalyvas, A. (2005), "Popular Sovereignty, Democracy, and the Constituent Power", in Constellations, Volume 12, Number 2, pp 223-244.
- Loughlin, M. (2014), "The Concept of Constituent Power", in European Journal of Political Theory, Vol. 13 no. 2, pp: 218-237
Unit 6.- Communitarianism and Republicanism
Communitarians claim that liberals have long neglected the individual's identity and belonging to groups. Republicans reject the idea of a merely procedural democracy, and defend the idea of virtue and common good. How plausible are these critiques of liberalism?
- Kymlicka, W. (2002), "Communitarianism", in Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction, Oxford University Press.
- Pettit, Ph. (1997), "Freedom with honor: A Republican ideal" in Social Research; Spring; 64, 1; pp: 52-76.
Unit 7. Culture, Justice and Liberalism
The phenomenon of multiculturalism represents a challenge for western liberal democracies. Once uncontested, the uniformity and closeness of the society used to be taken for granted. What does justice requires in a multicultural polity?
- Requejo, F. (2002), Democracy and national pluralism, Routledge
- Iris Marion Young (2000), "Self-Determination and Global Democracy: A Critique of Liberal Nationalism", in Ian Shapiro and Stephen Macedo (eds) Designing Democratic Institutions: NOMOS 42. NYU Press: 147-83.
Unit 8. Global democracy and Global Justice
Globalization (understood as the free circulation of capital, goods, information and -to a limited extent, people) is raising the awareness of global inequalities in the realm of distribution of income and wealth. Because nation-states can no longer claim to be isolated in this world, any theory of justice needs to confront the challenges posed by this phenomenon and envisage a new global order.
- Miller, D. (2007) National Responsibility and Global Justice, Oxford University Press.
- Nussbaum, M. (1996), "Patriotism and cosmopolitanism", in M. Nussbaum et al. (Eds.), For love of country: Debating the limits of patriotism. Boston: Beacon Press (pp. 2-20).
Unit 9. Environmentalism: obligations towards future generations
Theories of justice have long focused on the idea of distribution of present resources among the living members of the society. Environmentalism challenges this view, pointing out that the well being of the present generation may endanger the well being of the next one. What does this imply?
- Dobson, A. (2003) Citizenship and the environment, Oxford University Press.
- Barry, J. & Dobson, A. (2004) "Green Political Theory: a report", a Gerald F. Gaus & Chandran Kukathas, Handbook of Political Theory, SAGE
Other suggested readings:
- Berlin, I. (1962), "Does Political Theory Still Exist?", in Philosophy, Politics, and Society, 2nd Series, ed. P. Laslett and W. G. Runciman. Oxford: Blackwell, 1- 33.
- Kymlicka, W. (2001), "Liberal Egalitarianism and Civic Republicanism: Friends or Enemies?", in Politics in the Vernacular: Nationalism, Multiculturalism and Citizenship. Oxford University Press (Chapter 18).
- Singer, P. (2002) One world the ethics of globalization, Yale University Press.
- Brown, C. (2004) "From international justice to global justice? A Handbook of Political Theory, Oxford.
4. Assessment
Continuous Assessment (classroom, or online participation):
a) Presentation and discussion of readings (15%)
b) Written submissions (15%)
c) Class or forum participation (10%)
Final Assessment:
d) Final Exam (40%)
e) Essay (20%)
f) Optional: book review (+10%)
Retake Exam:
- May retake the exam of early July, students who have attended most of the seminars and the final exam but obtain a final grade for the course under 5.
- To pass the exam students will need to show sufficient knowledge and understanding of the contents of the theoretical sessions and the relevant readings.
5. Bibliography
Canovan, M. Nationhood and Political Theory, Oxford, 1996.
Dworkin, R. (1977), Taking Rights Seriously. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Gargarella, R. Las teorías de la justicia después de Rawls, Barcelona: Ariel, 1996.
Goodin, R.; Pettit, P. (ed.) A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Anthology, Oxford: Blackwell, 1997.
Held, D. Modelos de Democracia, Alianza Editorial, 2007.
Kymlicka, W. Contemporary Political Philosophy. An introduction, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Kymlicka, W. Politics in the Vernacular: Nationalism, Multiculturalism and Citizenship. Oxford University Press, 2001.
Maiz, R. (comp) Teorías políticas contemporáneas, Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia, 2001.
Miller, D. Political Philosophy. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford; Nova York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Moore, M. (ed.) National Self-determination and Secession, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Requejo, F. Las Democracias: democracia antigua, democracia liberal y estado de bienestar, Barcelona: Ariel, 2008.
Requejo, F.; Gonzalo, E. Desigualtats en democràcia. Les teories de la justícia socioeconòmica al segle XXI, Barcelona: Eumo Editorial, 2009.
Vallespín, F (ed) Historia de la Teoría Política (8 vol), Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 1992-1996.
Walzer, M. (1983), Spheres of Justice. New York: Basic Books. (Chapter 2: "Membership")
Young, I. M. (1990), Justice and the Politics of Difference. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
6. Methodology
The assessment of the course is based on three types of activities. First, classroom activities includes: attendance, presenting lectures and discussion with colleagues. Secondly, it includes activities to do outside the classroom: readings, writings on a topic, and/or summaries of readings (including an optional activity that involves a review of a recommended book). Finally, there is the exam.