The problem of political obligation : a critical analysis of liberal theory

Pateman examines the notion of political obligation in relation to the liberal democratic state and presents a vision of participatory democracy as a means to effect a more satisfactory relationship between the citizen and the state. She offers a general assessment of liberal theory and an interpretation of all familiar arguments about political obligation and democratic consent. Most Recent Discussions Of The Political Authority Of The Liberal Democratic State And The Political Obligation Of Its Citizens Are Based On One Of Two Assumptions: That General Problems About Political Obligation Have Now Been Resolved Or Are Easily Resolvable; Or That No Such Problems Exist. One Aim Of This Book Is To Show That The Latter Assumption Is Unfounded And That Political Obligation Is Inherently Problematic. My Larger Aim, Which Is Both More Substantive And More Controversial, Is To Show That Political Obligation In The Liberal Democratic State Constitutes An Insoluble Problem; Insoluble Because Political Obligation Cannot Be Given Expression Within The Context Of Liberal Democratic Institutions. The Problem Of Political Obligation Can Be Solved Only Through The Development Of The Theory And Practice Of Participatory Or Self-managing Democracy. [introduction]. Carole Pateman. Includes Indexes. Bibliography: P. [193]-199.