Political egalitarianism
{{Short description|When everyone has equal political power or influence}}
{{Democracy}}
{{Basic forms of government}}
File:Egalitarian and equality logo.svg
Political egalitarianism describes an inclusive and fair allocation of political power or influence, fair processes, and fair treatment of all regardless of characteristics like race, gender, religion, age, wealth or intelligence.{{Cite journal |last=Peter |first=Fabienne |date=2007-08-01 |title=The Political Egalitarian's Dilemma |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10677-006-9057-z |journal=Ethical Theory and Moral Practice |language=en |volume=10 |issue=4 |pages=373–387 |doi=10.1007/s10677-006-9057-z |s2cid=144836352 |issn=1572-8447}} Political egalitarianism, and its close cousin political equality, are key founding principles and sources of legitimacy for many democracies. Related principles include one person, one vote and equality before the law.{{cite web |last=Verba |first=Sydney |date=January 2001 |title=Political Equality: What Is It? Why Do We Want It? |url=https://www.russellsage.org/research/reports/political-equality |website=Russell Sage Foundation |page=19}}
Discussion
= Egalitarianism =
Egalitarianism denotes the belief that all people are of equal fundamental worth and should have equal status.{{Citation |last=Arneson |first=Richard |title=Egalitarianism |date=2013 |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2013/entries/egalitarianism/ |encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |editor-last=Zalta |editor-first=Edward N. |access-date=2023-11-05 |edition=Summer 2013 |publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University}} Egalitarians tend to focus more on process and treating people as social equals than on the raw distribution of power.
= Political equality =
Political equality is only achieved when the norms, rules and procedures that govern the community afford equal consideration to all.Beramendi, P., Besley, T. and Levi, M. (2022), [https://ifs.org.uk/inequality/political-equality-what-is-it-and-why-does-it-matter/ ‘Political equality: what is it and why does it matter?’], IFS Deaton Review of Inequalities Robert Dahl believes that the ideal of democracy assumes that political equality is desirable.{{Cite book |last=Dahl |first=Robert Alan |url=https://archive.org/details/onpoliticalequal0000dahl/page/n20/mode/1up?_autoReadAloud=show&view=theater |title=On Political Equality |date=2006 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-11607-6 |location=New Haven (Conn.) |pages=2 |author-link=Robert Dahl}} He goes on to argue that political equality and democracy are supported by the inherent intrinsic equal worth of every person (intrinsic equality) and the tendency of concentrated power to corrupt.{{Cite book |last=Dahl |first=Robert Alan |url=https://archive.org/details/onpoliticalequal0000dahl/page/4/mode/1up?_autoReadAloud=show&view=theater |title=On Political Equality |date=2006 |publisher=Yale Univ. Press |isbn=978-0-300-11607-6 |location=New Haven, Conn. |pages=4 |author-link=Robert Dahl}}
= Equality before the law =
{{main articles|Equality before the law}}
Equality before law means that the law applies to all peoples equally and without exceptions. For example, the freedom of speech should apply the same to all members of a society. Laws can sometimes be designed to help minimize unequal application.{{cite journal|title=Equality under and before the law|journal = The University of Toronto Law Journal|volume = 61|issue = 3|pages = 411–465|jstor = 23018555|last1 = Lucy|first1 = William|year = 2011|doi = 10.3138/utlj.61.3.411| s2cid=144874942 }} Well-designed constitutions, for example, can help protect political rights in functioning democracies.Jessica Bulman-Pozen & Miriam Seifter, [https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/faculty_scholarship/2654 The Democracy Principle in State Constitutions], 119Mich. L. Rev. 859 (2021).{{Cite magazine |last=Lepore |first=Jill |date=2021-03-22 |title=When Constitutions Took Over the World |language=en-US |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/03/29/when-constitutions-took-over-the-world |access-date=2023-07-01 |issn=0028-792X}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://openlibrary.org/search/inside?q=%22+political+egalitarianism%22 "Political egalitarianism"] search on Open Library
- [https://democracyprinciple.law.wisc.edu/category?c=pe Political equality provisions in U.S. State constitutions] by TheDemocracyPrinciple.law.wisc.edu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Political Egalitarianism}}