ABSTRACT
The Subjective Authorisation Account proposes that a citizen possesses reparative responsibilities for an injustice perpetrated by his state, if he endorses his state as a credible interpreter and upholder of his core interests; the state’s performing the injustice-causing act lies within the specific mandate over which the state has been authorised by the citizen; he communicates externally his endorsement of the state, and can do the same for his withdrawal of endorsement, and is not subjected to overt deception, coercion, or manipulation, such that his endorsement is at least somewhat genuine. The fulfilment of these conditions above a certain, minimal threshold suffices in generating reparative responsibilities in authoritarian states. The exact scope and extent of responsibility will vary in accordance with the quality of motivation and the level of governance that the citizen endorses – for example, national versus local, federal versus municipal governments. The Objective and Subjective Authorisation Accounts interact with one another in an organically reinforcing manner, thereby comprising the theoretical bulwark of the Comprehensive Authorisation Model.
