Bo Rothstein: Is there a contradiction between democracy and quality of government?

Most definitions of democracy rely on a set of procedural rules for how political power should be accessed legitimately. The basic norm for these procedural rules is according to noted democracy theor

Research seminar with Bo Rothstein.AbstractMost definitions of democracy rely on a set of procedural rules for how political power should be accessed legitimately. The basic norm for these procedural ru realized by equal democratic rights. In this understanding of political legitimacy, democracy is a “partisan game” where various interests are given fair possibilities to compete for political power. The concept of “quality of government” relates to the legitimacy in the of political power and is based on the norm of  that is the opposite of partisanship. This is to be realized by, for example, the rule of law and a public administration built on meritocracy. Several tensions between these two bases for achieving political legitimacy will be present. For example, a democratically elected government may want to politicize the public administration and may establish public services and benefits directed only to their political supporters. The rule of law includes the principle of equality before the law, but a democratically elected government may take actions that put itself “above” the law. Various empirical measures and philosophical principles for understanding these type of tensions between democracy and the quality of government will be presented in this lecture.

This paper discusses the ideas in the works of the Alva Myrdal future studies group and Swedish future studies discourse. Historical knowledge of future discourses in the past may be an important way

2008. Journal of Population Economics 21(3), 521-539. Abstract There are obvious reasons why residential construction should depend on the population’s age structure. We estimate this relation on Swedis

Completed: Algorithms in public decision-making. Social construction in change

How can we ensure the transparency required in a democracy and still make us of new AI technology in the public sector?

2008. Journal of Population Economics 21(3), 521-539. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00148-006-0064-0

Ethics, Volume 129, no. 2, pp. 284-308. doi.org/10.1086/700032 Abstract This article analyzes approaches to nondeterminacy (e.g., incommensurability, indeterminacy, parity) that suggest that one can make

Pp. 201-226 in Analytical Sociology and Social Mechanisms, Pierre Demeulenaere (Ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Revue de Métaphysique et de Morale, 102, 23-37 Abstract This paper presents Derek Parfit’s contribution to the debate on the optimal population size, as it has been developed by economists. Parfit’s des

Unlike economic theories and strategies of the last twenty years, this paper claims that health helps to create wealth, i.e. not only the other way around. It is argued that a human capital approach w