Contemporary jurists and democracy A reading of the political works of Hans Kelsen and Norberto Bobbio

The relevance of the debate on the subject of democracy in Western societies is now indisputable. This shows that autocratic forms of society have lost relevance and that the struggle for democracy has come to be seen as a positive movement. The present work, converging with this event, rescues the contribution of two notable 20th century jurists on the subject: the Austrian jurist Hans Kelsen and the Italian jurist Norberto Bobbio. The aim is to identify the contribution of these authors to the concept of democracy, the fundamental characteristics of this political form in their thought and its assumptions. In its conclusion, the paper highlights the points of convergence and divergence between the authors and makes it clear that the struggle for democracy remains a fundamental task.