Poli Sci Clothing Order ‘08

We are doing our clothing order this year on slightly short notice. Hopefully that’s cool!

• Jackets, Fleeces, and Hoodies againForms are in the Poli Sci office, and we will

be taking them in with the deposits in the Poli Sci society room (UC 6015) on 3 different dates:

• Thursday Feb. 21: 11-2• Monday Feb. 25: 11-2• Tuesday Feb. 26: 11-2

Doing Democracy Differently

The Netherlands and Belgium

What’s different?

• Said to be consociational democracies characterized by:–power-sharing among significant

groups or subcultures

–a politics of accommodation different from majoritarian forms of democracy

Consociational democracyAccording to Arend Lijphart, a form of liberal

democracy in plural or divided societies, characterized by

• Elite Accommodation• Power-sharing: government by grand or

extra large coalitions• Proportional allocation• Subcultures (or pillars) accorded mutual

vetoes over matters

Consensus vs. adversarial democracy

Consensus democracy (also Lijphart)• Decisions by (seeking) consensus rather

than imposition of majority will• Society not necessarily segmented• But more likely in federal & plural societies

• e.g. Germany, NL, Belgium, Austria

• Other examples:– Scandinavia, because of involvement of

‘social partners’ in policy processes

Adversarial democracy

• Characterized by the interplay between government and opposition

• Dominant decision-mode: majority rule

• Examples?

Netherlands and Belgium• Multiple divisions:

– Religion & class– Language in Belgium

• Formation of subcultures or pillars – extended networks of religious or ideologically based organizations – made imposition of majority will problematic

• Both end up with a politics of accommodation

• But plays out differently in each country

Netherlands• Late 19th, early 20th c mobilization results in

– Calvinist, Catholic, Socialist, and general pillars

– A segmented or pillarized society• Liphart’s claim: Netherlands held together

only by the efforts of subcultural elites who – Understand the consequences of conflict– Are willing and able to conclude compromises

to avoid it– Accommodation facilitated by segmentation

Problems

• Which came first: pillarization or the politics of accommodation?

• Was the Netherlands necessarily going to fly apart if compromises were not struck?

• Why does accommodation occur in some societies and not in others?

Pillarization today

• far less important today than in the past

• Institutional vestiges remain– Parties & party system– institutions

• Consensus democracy with extensive recourse to expert opinion– Policy processes described as viscous

• But still difficult to form governments

Belgium• Religious and class divisions shape party

system• Pillars remain important• Linguistic divisions now most salient• Clientelistic politics• Accommodation anything but complete

– Frequent conflicts– Open disintegrative tendencies