The Boundaries of Democracy A Theory of Inclusion

This book provides a general theory of democratic inclusion for the present world. It presents an original contribution to our understanding of the democratic ideal by explaining how democratic inclusion can apply to individuals in a variety of contexts: the workplace, social clubs, religious institutions, the family, and, of course, the state. The book explores the problem of democratic inclusion, what it means to be subject to de facto authority, how this conception translates into legal systems, and the relationship between territorial claims by the state, and law’s claim to legitimate authority. The volume will be of interest to scholars and researchers of politics, especially political theory and democracy.

1. The unresolved problem of democratic inclusion2. Democratic inclusion in associations3. Democratic inclusion and the state4. Subject to legal authority5. The scope of legal authority6. Authority and extra-territorial jurisdiction7. Authority and state borders8. Does it matter that state borders are arbitrary?9. End discussion: the limits of democratic inclusion

Ludvig Beckman is Professor of Political Science at Stockholm University and research leader at the Institute for Futures Studies, Stockholm. His recent work includes books and articles on the boundary problem in democratic theory and on the idea of popular sovereignty in constitutional politics.