A Third Liberal Theory of Secession

Liverpool Law Review, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1992), 45-66.

16 Pages Posted: 25 May 2016

See all articles by Robert W. McGee

Robert W. McGee

Fayetteville State University - Department of Accounting

Date Written: March 1, 1992

Abstract

The present article is written in response to two articles that appeared previously in Political Studies on the topic of secession. Harry Beran's "A Liberal Theory of Secession" cites six cases that do not justify secession. Anthony H. Birch's "Another Liberal Theory of Secession" gives four cases that justify it. The present article concludes that secession is a right, not something one has to get permission for, and is always justified.

The Louw and Kendall model is applied to the political system in the United States to show how secession might work at the national, regional and local levels. The possibility of secession can be used to restrain overzealous politicians and can act as a safety valve to diffuse political unrest.

Keywords: secession, utilitarian, ethics, rights

JEL Classification: H77, D23, D72

Suggested Citation

McGee, Robert W., A Third Liberal Theory of Secession (March 1, 1992). Liverpool Law Review, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1992), 45-66., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2783025

Robert W. McGee (Contact Author)

Fayetteville State University - Department of Accounting ( email )

Fayetteville, NC 28301
United States

HOME PAGE: http://robertwmcgee.com

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
111
Abstract Views
660
Rank
442,725
PlumX Metrics