Rousseau, law and the sovereignty of the people / Ethan Putterman.

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2010.

ix, 187 pages ; 24 cm

"Together with Plato's Republic, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Social Contact is regarded as one of the most original examples of Utopian political engineering in the history of ideas. Similar to the Republic, Rousseau's Social Contract is better known today for its author's idiosyncratic view of political justice than its lessons on law-making or governance in any concrete sense. Challenging this common view, Rousseau, Law and the Sovereignty of the People examines the Genevan's contribution as a constitutionalist and builder of institutions, relating his major ideas to issues and debates in twenty-first century political science. Ethan Putterman explores how Rousseau's just state would actually operate, investigating how laws would be drafted, ratified and executed, arguing that the theory of the Social Contract is more pragmatic and populist than many scholars assume today"--Provided by publisher.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-182) and indexes.

STA

K457.R6 P88 2010

English

9780521765381 hardback
0521765382 hardback