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consent

Theory of basis of political obligation.

The sole justification for enforcing laws is if those against whom they are enforced have consented to the general arrangements in which the laws are drawn up. Thus the consent of the governed is the only thing that can legitimate a system of government. There is disagreement about how one can tell when that consent has been given, and in what ways it is given.

Source:
H Beran, The Consent Theory of Political Obligation (Oxford, 1987)

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