2 - A Retributive Justice Model of Citizen Engagement

Summary

Chapter 2 explicates the retributive justice theory of citizen engagement. This theory starts from the premise that people prefer government authorities who govern according to principles that have a moral basis, that we want more from government than simply deferring to elites with more power and resources. I argue that one fundamental expectation is for government authorities to provide retributive justice, or the use of punishment to uphold what is fair and right. Besides deterring future malfeasance, such punishment upholds the fundamental values of the political community and enables higher-level officials to show citizens they are moral leaders. Thus, when authoritarian politicians – both in robustly authoritarian regimes and in electoral democracies moving toward greater authoritarianism – successfully show citizens they are committed to retributive justice, they may enjoy a high level of public support and legitimacy and high levels of citizen engagement and voluntary compliance.