How does political sovereignty give a state authority to make and enforce laws?

In political theory, sovereignty is defined as the ultimate power or authority exercised in the decision-making process of a state and the maintenance of order. This authority provides the state with the capacity to create and enforce laws, though the justification for this power varies by philosophical tradition.1

One influential approach is the social contract, which posits that citizens rationally agree to surrender certain rights to a central authority in exchange for benefits such as domestic peace and security. Under this framework:2

• Absolute Authority: Thinkers like Thomas Hobbes argued that a sovereign must possess absolute power to declare and enforce laws to prevent a state of anarchy.23
• Popular Sovereignty: Philosophers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that authority is entrusted to a government by the people to protect their rights or represent the collective "general will".23
• Legislative and Constitutional Limits: In practice, sovereignty is often exercised through specific organs, such as a parliament, or constrained by a constitution, which may limit the state's power through mechanisms like judicial review.3

Ultimately, while sovereignty grants the state the authority to command, modern democratic states often operate under the principle that this power is derived from the people and is subject to legal and constitutional boundaries.3