Underlabouring at home, moralising abroad? On the role of international political theory

Abstract

The democratic underlabourer has become a popular model for the role of political theory in practical politics in recent years. Its charm lies in the fact that it recognises the special expertise of political theorists (epistemic authority), but does not grant them a privileged role in the deliberation of political questions (democratic deference). But does the principle of democratic deference also apply when political decisions are not made through democratic procedures, as in international politics? In this paper, I argue for three theses: First, the democratic underlabourer model is only a normatively sound account of the role of political theory under the specific conditions of well-ordered liberal democracies. If basic human rights are not secured or the political process cannot be influenced through democratic deliberation among the citizens, the grounds for democratic deference no longer apply. Second, both of these conditions are usually not met at the international level. International political theory is therefore, third, in need of a new model of its relationship to real politics.