When the 'will of the people' conflicts with the 'good of the people': a problem in Political Philosophy

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The doctoral project will make a contribution to democratic political theory. Its aim is twifold: first, to use the Brexit case as a starting point for re-examining the value of democracy and its relationship with other, related values-economic wellbeing and liberties in particular. And on the basis of this analysis, second to develop a normative-theoretical account of the ways and means by which democracies ought to address conflicts when they arise between democratic decisions and the common good of those living within democracies. Methods to be considered will range from anticipatory measures that can help avoid decisions that result simply from error to misjudgement ( for instance, by ensuring that voters are well-educated for the purposes of political participation) through the use of repeat referenda to the more radical possibilities considered by theorists of 'militant democracy', such as the suspension of democratic outcomes. The aim of this part of the project is to identifiy the range of resources and measures available to democracies and to identify the sorts of case in which different approaches might be justified.