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Key research themes
1. How does anthropology reveal the lived realities and political implications of the social contract concept in diverse societies?
This research theme focuses on ethnographic and anthropological investigations into how the idea of the social contract influences state-society relations, popular expectations, and policy discourse globally. It highlights the social contract as a living, dynamic construct rather than a static philosophical notion, exploring its local instantiations, political power, and consequences on governance and citizen-state interactions.
Key finding: The paper presents an ethnographic analysis showing the social contract concept functions as a pervasive interpretative resource across international development, policy-making, and everyday interactions, shaping expectations... Read more
Key finding: This work provides multiple ethnographic case studies demonstrating how social contract thinking affects both citizens' lived experiences and state actors' rationales, from Afghan asylum seekers expecting humanitarian... Read more
Key finding: The article argues that the endurance and reemergence of social contract theory lie not in its technical philosophical consistency, but in its rhetorical and political utility as a tool to address the legitimacy and stability... Read more
2. What are the philosophical foundations and critiques of consent and authority in social contract theory from Hobbes to Rawls?
This theme investigates core philosophical debates regarding the nature of consent, the state of nature, and the legitimate authority of sovereign powers as developed by classical social contract theorists Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, and modern theorists like Rawls. It critically examines different notions of consent (historical, prudential, structural) and the challenges raised against social contract theory, including the issues of individual autonomy, political obligation, and legitimacy.
Key finding: This text elucidates Hobbes’s conceptualization of the social contract as a mechanism by which individuals renounce natural freedoms to an absolute sovereign to secure peace and order, highlighting Hobbes’s mechanistic human... Read more
Key finding: This essay distinguishes historical, prudential, grateful, and structural understandings of consent within social contract theory, while presenting critiques from Hume, Hegel, and Dewey that underscore persistent issues in... Read more
Key finding: Aspromourgos revisits Adam Smith’s nuanced critique of labor contract regulation, emphasizing early acknowledgments of unequal bargaining power and justifications for legal protections favoring workers over masters. This... Read more
Key finding: This concise overview traces diverse interpretations of the social contract in political thought, highlighting its role in legitimating political authority via consent and managing collective action problems exemplified by... Read more
3. How do economic and political realities challenge and reshape the concept of the social contract in contemporary societies?
This research area examines the social contract in relation to economic policy, labor relations, democratic justice, and global governance. It investigates how political-economic crises, labor market transformations, and globalization influence social contract renegotiations and perceptions of legitimacy, focusing on tangible issues like trade policy, economic reforms, social safety nets, and democratic representation.
Key finding: The paper identifies a crisis in U.S. trade policy characterized by political discontent among workers harmed by trade liberalization. It proposes reforming trade adjustment assistance domestically and incorporating such... Read more
Key finding: The author introduces the 'missing social contract hypothesis' as an explanation for failures of macroeconomic adjustments and reforms in developing countries, emphasizing the necessity of a legitimate social contract to... Read more
Key finding: Weale employs principles derived from common property resource regimes to conceptualize a 'scaled-up' democratic social contract that balances individual appropriation with collective management. He argues that ensuring just... Read more