Philip Pettit’s Republicanism and Labour Law: A Defence

Abstract

Republican political theory has attracted the attention of a number of prominent academic labour lawyers in recent years with a view to providing a general theoretical or philosophical foundation for labour law. Engaging with and contributing to this emerging area of scholarly interest, this article endeavours to defend the possibility of a general republican theory of labour law by relying on the writings of Philip Pettit. Contrary to the arguments of these scholars, the paper suggests that at least some important parts of labour law could be explained and justified in the light of this particular version of republicanism and it is possible that many other if not all areas could be justified in the future. As Pettit’s republicanism is a work in progress, so too is the explanation and justification of labour law in the light thereof. Philosophy of Labour Law, Perfectionism, Consequentialism, Republicanism, Freedom as Non-Domination, Philip Pettit, Social Justice, Political Legitimacy, Sovereignty