Political Pluralism and the State: Explorations in political theory beyond the nation-state (Routledge Innovators in Political Theory)

The concept of a sovereign nation-state is a central part in many of the debates discussing the salient issues in political science today. Yet the debate on the state is fragmented and while the sub-disciplines within political science address the various possible consequences of different processes, the one thing they all share is uncertainty about the future shape and role of the state. Political Pluralism and the State is the first work in political theory to bring together IR, comparative politics and political theory approaches to analyze the post-sovereign state and develop a new interpretative scheme for social and political scientists. A scheme that takes account not only of the fragmentation of the polity but also of the often ignored concurrent fragmentation of society. The book seeks to understand and interpret political pluralization as an expression of the continuous processes of cooperation and secession that define politics and legitimize institutions. It develops an alternative, sovereignty-free conception of the ‘polis’ sensitive to these unavoidable processes, and assesses the viability of liberal-democratic ideals in a radically pluralized world. This book will be of interest to students and scholars in philosophy, politics, political economy, international relations, sociology and other social sciences. Introduction Sovereignty and the state Replies to political pluralization From politics to policy Citizen and citizenship The environment The undiscovered polis Political pluralization New polities, new problems Internationalization The treaty culture Dehierarchization The challenges of political pluralization Other directions The need to interfere Authoritative interference Politics versus economy: the green battlefield Green production Payoffs and incentives The need for political incentives A summary Conclusion Principles, discord and concord Principles and politics Objective truth The principle of popularity Controlled deliberation Philosophical and political liberalism Conclusion Sustainability as a policy telos Policy teloi Sustainable development: ecology versus environment Same telos, different place: liberal versus non-liberal societies Perspectives Beyond political principles Foundational principles Beyond the original position: the archpoint The restraint principle Beyond the archpoint Conclusion Alexandrism Cutting a knot Swords, axes and tweezers Murder as a political tool Torture, threats and the reign of terror The enlightened despot Proceduralism Lottery Conclusion The new polis The peppermill The myth of the state Conceptions of the polis Metropolis Conclusion Citizenship in the metropolis Introduction The rise and fall of mass democracy The complex concept of representation Mass democracy and representation Unequal and equal access Two futures for substantive representation The princes of industry Two kinds of proactive citizen A political history of the economy Social responsibility: fields and questions The impossibility of responsibility The civic role of enterprise Conclusion Harmony and political pluralization A political history Legitimate political pluralization Justice.

The concept of a sovereign nation-state is a central part in many of the debates discussing the salient issues in political science today. Yet the debate on the state is fragmented and while the sub-disciplines within political science address the various possible consequences of different processes, the one thing they all share is uncertainty about the future shape and role of the state.

Political Pluralism and the State is the first work in political theory to bring together IR, comparative politics and political theory approaches to analyze the post-sovereign state and develop a new interpretative scheme for social and political scientists. A scheme that takes account not only of the fragmentation of the polity but also of the often ignored concurrent fragmentation of society. The book seeks to understand and interpret political pluralization as an expression of the continuous processes of cooperation and secession that define politics and legitimize institutions. It develops an alternative, sovereignty-free conception of the ‘polis’ sensitive to these unavoidable processes, and assesses the viability of liberal-democratic ideals in a radically pluralized world.

This book will be of interest to students and scholars in philosophy, politics, political economy, international relations, sociology and other social sciences.

Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Contents......Page 8 Illustrations......Page 9 Preface......Page 10 1 Introduction......Page 14 2 Political pluralization......Page 26 3 The need to interfere......Page 54 4 Principles, discord and concord......Page 74 5 Sustainability as a policy telos......Page 93 6 Beyond political principles......Page 109 7 Alexandrism......Page 124 8 The new polis......Page 143 9 Citizenship in the metropolis......Page 160 10 The princes of industry......Page 181 11 Harmony and political pluralization......Page 196 Notes......Page 207 Bibliography......Page 215 Index......Page 225