Sovereignty relates to the ability to deliver in practice the essential services that people expect from government. A sovereign that is not capable of effectively discharging its mandate would be sovereign only in name. This second approach is more consistent with the writings of the political philosophers who most influenced our modern democracies.
John Locke, in his second treatise of government, affirms that the sovereign exists only as a fiduciary power to act for certain ends. It is the ability to achieve those ends that defines, and legitimises, sovereignty. 1  There is a large literature on market development and the protection of property rights and the rule of law.