TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ganghof, Steffen
T1  - Equality-based comparison how to justify democratic institutions in the Real World
T2  - Politics
N2  - Political scientists regularly justify particular democratic institutions. This article explores two desiderata for such justifications. The first is a formal equality baseline which puts the burden of justification on those who favour more unequal institutions. This baseline is seen as an implication of the rule of law. The second desideratum, the comparison requirement, builds on the first: adequate justifications of particular institutions must compare them to the best alternative, and this comparison must consider the costs for political equality. The two desiderata are applied to political science debates about the proportionality of the electoral system and bicameral systems of legislative decision-making.
KW  - electoral systems
KW  - second chambers
KW  - political equality
KW  - institutional design
KW  - public justification
Y1  - 2013
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/34991
SN  - 0263-3957
VL  - 33
IS  - 2
SP  - 101
EP  - 111
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -