DOI: 10.7256/2454-0609.2022.2.38146

Abstract: The authors study the discussion on the relationship between parliament and voters in the English journalism of the beginning of the XVIII century. The authors consider one of the attempts of English voters to influence the policy of the already elected parliament – the "Kent Petition" of 1701, the authors of which sought to get the English Parliament to finance military preparations. The petition led to a large-scale discussion on the relationship between parliament and voters, the very ability of the latter to influence the activities of a representative body outside the election procedure. The arguments of the participants in this dispute are the focus of this article. Based on a wide range of sources, it is concluded that the problem of the relationship between parliament and voters became particularly relevant after the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688-1689, when the practice of regular convocation of parliament was established. The article shows that the discussion was conducted by supporters of early English "parties" - groups of Whigs and Tories. If the Whigs defended the right of voters to influence the policy of parliamentarians, the Tories considered such a practice risky and dangerous. The authors note the influence of the concepts of political thought that were widespread at that time on the positions of the parties: for example, the Whigs used the idea of a "social contract", while the Tories relied in their writings on the principle of "balance" between the elements of the English political system.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0757.2020.1.31953

Abstract: In the late XVII century in England has establishes the school of “political arithmetic”, which goal consisted in the analysis of social phenomena on the basis of quantitative indicators. Its main representatives became William Petty, John Graunt and Charles Davenant (1656-1714). The latter left a mark in the history of England as a philosopher, politician and publicist, who made a significant contribution to the development and implementation of the methods of “political arithmetic”. The object of this research is the views of the English thinker, reflected in his pamphlets and treatises of the 1690’s. The subject is the Davenant’s views on the principles and tasks of “political arithmetic” in the context of his political theory. Special attention is given to correlation between Davenant’s views on the development of “political arithmetic’ and his concept of public administration. The scientific novelty lies in the comprehensive examination of the political and economic views of Charles Davenant within the framework of his attitude on the method of “political arithmetic”. The author delivers a thesis on the importance of the political and epistemological context, which formed Davenant’s views on the quantitative indicators. Grasp of quantitative data Davenant correlated directly with the practice of administration. According to the philosopher, a public official having the capacity for “evaluation” and proper interpretation of data could avoid many mistakes in decision-making and reliance on “bad” advices. The thinker suggested that possession of quantitative data and their competent interpretation could increase the efficiency of administration.

DOI: 10.7256/2454-0609.2019.6.31150

Abstract: The research subject of this study is the foreign historiography dealing with the heritage of Charles Davenant (1656-1714) - an English politician, philosopher, historian, and publicist. The research object of this study is the change in the direction of examining the views and work of this English thinker in foreign historiography. The aim of this article is to identify the features in the study of the views and work of C. Devenant which were characteristic of various periods in the development of historiography. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to consider the history of studying the writings of the thinker, to identify the particularities in covering the political activity and the views of the publicist in foreign (mainly British) historiography. The article's research methodology is based on a systematic approach to the analysis of foreign historical science. The examination of other scholars' study of the English thinker's views required the application of the historical-genetic and historical-comparative methods. The novelty of this research lies in the fact that neither in Russian nor in foreign historiography have the views and work of C. Davenant been made the subject of a separate study The author identifies three main trends in the history of studying the views and work of C. Devenant.Thus, some scholars focused on reconstructing the political biography of Davenant and assessing his role in the party struggle at the turn of the 17th - 18th centuries. This approach can be called "political." At the same time, another direction was developed, which studied the economic views of the publicist and his role in the formation of economic science within its framework. In the last decades of the 20th century, up to today, a third direction has dominated, where Davenant is considered as a thinker and philosopher, and scholars focus their attention primarily on his political ideas and “political language”.