The Political Theory of Suckers

• In Event: Rights, Obligations, and Authority

Abstract

So many of our political problems are collective action problems especially in liberal-democracies that depend on individuals doing above and beyond what is strictly legally required of them. In this context, almost all of the focus has been directed at free-riding, arguing against it, and designing institutions to prevent it. In this paper we turn our gaze toward those thought of as suckers, who are the "vehicles" of free riding. We argue that there are two kinds of people referred to as suckers - the pro-social "vehicle" of free riding and the dupe. We analyze the reason for this linguistic conflation, and argue that liberal-democracy cannot flourish when those who exhibit pro-social behavior in collective action settings are considered suckers. This paper bears on key problems in contemporary democratic life as well as on foundational questions in political theory such as political authority, obligation, and duties of fair play.

Authors

• Avishay Ben Sasson-Gordis, Harvard University

• Shai Agmon, Oxford University