---
bibtex: @article{bergstrom2007,
title={Democracy and political boundaries},
author={Bergstr{\"o}m, Lars},
journal={The Viability and desirability of global democracy, Stockholm Studies in Democratic Theory},
volume={3},
pages={14--32},
year={2007}
}
---
Bergström defines the boundary problem as "if ”democracy” is government “by the people”, who are included among “the people”?" p1
His claim is that democratic theory can solve the boundary problem but that "a democratic solution is not necessarily a good solution." And while we could try and find good non-democratic solutions, "according to democratic theory political problems should be handled by democratic methods, not by normative principles." p24
"democratic theory has ... started from the implicit assumption that the boundary problem is solved – or can be ignored – in practice." p4
"even if there is no suitable and general principle for the solution of boundary problems, it might be still held that such problems can nevertheless be solved by democratic methods in particular cases" p5
"This indicates that there are really two different kinds of boundary problems. One kind consists of decision problems, which are solved when certain decisions are made – at least if they are made by the relevant political authority in accordance with the relevant rules of decision making. The other kind consists of normative problems, which are solved when someone finds out what decision ought to be made or ought to have been made in a certain case or kind of case." p7
Just because a decision can be reached through a democratic process, doesn't mean that the decision is the right one, nor that a problem has been solved. The issue is why we should be morally bound by democratic outcomes.
"I conclude that the all-affected principle is quite unacceptable as a general rule for all political decisions. However, it might still be acceptable in the particular case of decisions concerning boundary problems." p14
"we are concerned with the problem of finding some practically useful way of handling boundary problems." p17
He hints that a solution to the BP must be congruent with the aims of democracy. p21
"The claim that the boundary problem cannot be solved within democratic theory can be understood in different ways. On one rather natural interpretation it is false. So Dahl and Whelan are wrong." p23
"Moral philosophers have a tendency to believe that normative problems can be solved by normative principles. Unfortunately, this is a very problematic assumption. In political contexts, it is probably often mistaken. Fortunately, there are other ways of handling political problems." p24