From Judicial Sovereignty to Collective Democracy: The Development of J.R. Commons’ Perspective on Progressive Institutional Change

Abstract:

This article clarifies the significance of “collective democracy” in the works of John R. Commons by comparing it with “judicial sovereignty” in terms of its contribution to “progress.” We can thus answer two issues that Paul D. Bush does not clearly address: (i) what setup for policy formation contributes to progress and (ii) what is the role of economists within a collective democracy? Based on the comparison, the answer to the first question is collective democracy, and regarding the second question, the roles of economists as both economists and “institutional” economists are extrapolated.

Keywords:

• judicial sovereignty
• collective democracy
• progressive change
• role of economists

JEL Classification Codes:

• B15
• B25
• P11

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kota Kitagawa

Kota Kitagawa is an associate professor on the Faculty of Economics, Kansai University, Osaka, Japan. This work was supported by grant numbers JP18K12753 and JP18K01530 from the JSPS KAKENHI.