Work

A Democratic Right to Political Strikes

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.Democratic politics in practice often lags far behind the democratic ideals that justify democracy in theory. Where democratic theory postulates the equality of citizens and the accountability of elected officials, democratic practice is often characterized by the absence of accountability and deep political inequality. As a response to these issues, this paper presents an argument for a right to political strikes in democratic societies. Such a right can empower citizens to effectively hold officials accountable and prevent the worst excesses of elite capture. It is therefore justified as a means of self-defense to protect basic democratic rights. The paper defends this claim against the objections that political strikes distribute the burdens of political contestation unfairly and that this is an overly contestatory approach to politics.

Source: Political Philosophy

DOI: 10.16995/pp.18607

Author: Philipp Stehr

Institution: Technical University of Munich

Language: English

Topic: Political Theory and Democracy

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: H2020 European Research Council