Governmental power: Quality or identity? comment on Alon Harel's argument against outsourcing violence

Re'Em Segev*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

What is the appropriate division of power between public officials and private individuals? The straightforward answer to this question, it seems, is that an official should have a power if she employs it (morally) better compared to a private individual. However, Alon Harel argues that this answer is misguided, or at least partially, since there are some decisions-mainly concerning the employment of violence-that should be made and implemented only by public officials regardless of the (relative) moral quality of the decision or action. In this comment I consider and criticize this argument.

Original languageEnglish
Article number7
Pages (from-to)415-423
Number of pages9
JournalLaw and Ethics of Human Rights
Volume5
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2011

Keywords

  • Alon Harel
  • comment
  • inherently governmental functions
  • outsourcing violence
  • private entities
  • societal decisions

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