Michels, core principles of dutch democracy

Question 1

5 core principles

Answer 1

• consensus democracy = tendency to make decisions after a certain degree of consensus has been reached. negotiation and comprimise are essential elements. (opposite = majoritarian)
• pragmatism = finding practical solutions to policy problems. (polarized)
• focus on representative democracy = citizen participation is not considered an essential feature of democracy , main actor is the parliament (opposite = participatory).
• the role of self-governing associations = important for guerenteeing pluralism (opposite = primacy of the state).
• decentralization = power also given to lower insititutions (opposite = centralization)

Question 1

key concepts to understand the core principles

Answer 1

• pillarization/heterogeneous society
• cooperating elites
• ‘rules of the game
• pluralism
• citizen participation
• balance of power

Question 2

consociational democracy

Answer 2

division between society and elite cooperation. All groups, including minorities are represented on the political stage. Realistic option in deeply divided societies.
- Not completely the same as consensus.

Question 3

ministerial responsibility

Answer 3

the ministers, and not the king, shall be responsible for the acts of the government

Question 4

political thinkers and limits to the involvement of central government

Answer 4

• Liberals: State as organism – autonomy of parts
• Protestants: State as limited sovereign / sovereignty in independent spheres
• Catholics: self-realization/ subsidiarity of state
• Socialists: personalism/ State as limit to (personal) freedom

Question 5

risks of consensus

Answer 5

• groups are underrepresented
• group thinking
• leveraging power position and agreeing to make bad decisions

Question 6

risks of pragmatism

Answer 6

Different data may give different answer to a specific question and there might be too much emphasis on how useful the information actually is

Question 7

risks of representative democracy

Answer 7

• distance between parliament and the citizens
• dissatisfaction due to no participation

Question 8

risks of self-governing associations

Answer 8

• inefficient or unnecessary duplication of public services

Question 9

risks of decentralization

Answer 9

See that topic