Chapter 1: Bridging the Gap between Principles and Institutions: Meta-theoretical and Methodological Considerations

The overarching objective of this book is to propose a “radical proceduralist” conception of democratic legitimacy that provides an alternative to contemporary expertocratic visions for democratic reform and renewal. To this aim, I will build a bridge between proceduralist political philosophy and institutional design: I examine philosophical argumentations for proceduralism, flesh out my account of “radical proceduralism” and then propose a strategy to “enact” (Saward, 2003) abstract philosophical principles in democratic institutions. “Linking” philosophical arguments with institutional design-proposals poses a range of metatheoretical and methodological challenges. In this section, I will – against the backdrop of some basic conceptual clarifications – map out three major challenges that this book's project must face (henceforth abbreviated: [MTC1]-[MTC3]).