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Population as a Measure of Public Welfare

The Social Contract

This flow follows Rousseau’s proposed test for good government: whether people are preserved and flourish in sufficient numbers under their own political order.

increasingupBearing stren­gth in each eventdowndecreasing
Government Claims a PurposeGovernment Claims a Purpose from "The Social Contract". Government Claims a Purpose Preservation and Prosperity Rousseau defines political association’s end as preserving and benefiting its members.
Government Claims a Purpose Preservation and Prosperity Rousseau defines political association’s end as preserving and benefiting its members. That standard shifts attention away from rulers’ prestige. A Practical Question He asks how observers might tell whether a people is well governed. The answer must concern outcomes for the population, not appearances of order alone.
Competing Measures RejectedCompeting Measures Rejected from "The Social Contract". Competing Measures Rejected Disputed Definitions Different groups value security, liberty, property, punishment, or public provision according to their…
Competing Measures Rejected Disputed Definitions Different groups value security, liberty, property, punishment, or public provision according to their interests. Agreement on a single abstract mark of good government is difficult. A Turn to Evidence Rousseau proposes a sign that can be observed: the preservation and growth of the people itself.
Growth Offered as a SignGrowth Offered as a Sign from "The Social Contract". Growth Offered as a Sign Population as Evidence All else being equal, the government under which citizens increase and multiply most is declared best; one…
Growth Offered as a Sign Population as Evidence All else being equal, the government under which citizens increase and multiply most is declared best; one under which they diminish is worst. A Controversial Criterion The measure is deliberately concrete, but it cannot capture every dimension of justice or freedom. Rousseau offers it as a decisive sign, not a full account of political value.
Subsistence Shapes Political CapacitySubsistence Shapes Political Capacity from "The Social Contract". Subsistence Shapes Political Capacity Economic Conditions Rousseau relates political forms to the surplus labor and resources available in different countries.
Subsistence Shapes Political Capacity Economic Conditions Rousseau relates political forms to the surplus labor and resources available in different countries. A State must draw support from the work of its members. Material Limits Climate, production, consumption, and territory shape what kinds of government can endure. His environmental theory makes prosperity a condition of political life.
Good Government Made RelativeGood Government Made Relative from "The Social Contract". Good Government Made Relative Context Matters Rousseau does not claim one administrative form suits every State.
Good Government Made Relative Context Matters Rousseau does not claim one administrative form suits every State. Political quality depends on a people’s size, resources, and circumstances. Welfare Beyond Splendor The measure directs attention away from the apparent tranquility of rulers toward the enduring condition of the people. A prosperous public life matters more than governmental display.
Book III, Chapter IX, before the proposed measure of good government
Book III, Chapter IX, during the comparison of proposed standards
Book III, Chapter IX, at Rousseau’s proposed test
Book III, Chapter VIII, in the discussion of climate and production
Book III, Chapter IX, after the population test is proposed