Political Asymmetry

Abstract

This chapter aims to develop a taxonomy and further the definition of the concept of political asymmetry for operationalization into social science research inquiry. On the one hand, the chapter covers the single main categories to offer a taxonomy of the concept, exposing the semantic context of symmetry and asymmetry, and depicting the idea of the political sphere from a classical Aristotelian tradition as well making use of public political science and philosophy of law. Later on, drawing on contributions of critical constructivism, and particularly Habermas communicative action theory, the chapter addresses how political asymmetry can be found in contemporary social structures at the level of subsystems of administration, such as institutions, as well as at the level of individual interaction.