Fairness, Equality, and Democracy: Three Big Words

Fairness, Equality, and Democracy: Three Big Words

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Fairness, Equality, and Democracy: Three Big Words

dc.contributor.author	Verba, Sidney
dc.date.accessioned	2009-03-02T02:25:58Z
dc.date.issued	2006
dc.identifier.citation	Verba, Sidney. 2006. Fairness, equality, and democracy: three big words. Social Research: An International Quarterly of Social Sciences 73(2): 499-540.	en
dc.identifier.issn	0037-783X	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:2640592
dc.description.abstract	In this paper I will focus on what might be meant by fairness in a democratic regime. There may be more general fairness criteria applicable to any political system, democratic or authoritarian, but fairness in relation to political decisions is especially central in a democracy. Democratic regimes are supposed to be run by the citizenry, or at least the citizenry ought to be the ultimate authority. Democracies depend on legitimacy to function effectively; only when a regime is considered legitimate can it rule by consent rather than coercion. Democratic regimes cannot rely on coercion to govern and long remain democratic. Thus, public acceptance is important. This also explains why the public determination of what is fair, both as a matter of principle and in the evaluation of particular actions of particular governments, is central in democratic rule.	en
dc.description.sponsorship	Government	en
dc.publisher	New School for Social Research	en
dc.relation.isversionof	http://socialresearch.metapress.com/link.asp?id=l1365756gg111r47	en
dash.license	LAA
dc.title	Fairness, Equality, and Democracy: Three Big Words	en
dc.relation.journal	Social Research: An International Quarterly of Social Sciences	en
dash.depositing.author	Verba, Sidney