Exit, Voice, and Public Reason

Author(s)

Kevin Vallier, Bowling Green State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Public reason liberals appeal to public deliberation to ensure that a legal order can be publicly justified to its citizens. I argue that this voice mechanism should be supplemented by exit mechanisms. By allowing citizens to exit legal orders they believe cannot be publicly justified, citizens can pressure states to change their laws. This exit pressure is sometimes more effective than deliberation. I explore federalism as an exit mechanism that can help public deliberation establish a publicly justified polity.

Copyright Statement

Post-print

Repository Citation

Vallier, Kevin, "Exit, Voice, and Public Reason" (2018). Philosophy Faculty Publications. 1.
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/philosophy_pub/1

Publication Date

8-2018

Publication Title

American Political Science Review

Publisher

Cambridge University Press