Suchergebnisse

Even after 15 years political science has been unable to produce a precise & consistent definition of "governance." The common core of the various concepts of governance is the tendency towards more cooperative ways of political steering & the enhanced participation of private actors. Further characteristics can be distinguished by taking a look at the research on governance at the local/regional, the national & the European level. As a normative concept governance holds no advantages over other approaches of political science because it does not provide an answer to the question of the link between governance-structures & the democratically legitimized institutions of government. As an analytical research perspective it can be useful if its implicit assumption of a fundamental change in statehood is taken into question. References. Adapted from the source document.

From September 2002 to December 2003 the "Schill Party," a new right-wing populist party, was part of a coalition government (together with the CDU & the FDP) in Hamburg. Once in office, some of the party's characteristics which contributed to its electoral success turned into disadvantages. These, in turn, endangered the stability of the coalition &, ultimately, led to the disintegration of the party itself. Especially the decisive role of the party leader Ronald Schill & his personification of the party proved to be strong barriers to the development of a stable organization. The party struggled with two conflicting tendencies among its parliamentary members & its ministers: On the one hand, the party's integration into the political institutions & the rules of the decision-making process caused it to develop a more consensus-oriented political style & more moderate political goals. On the other hand, the electoral success of the right-wing populist party remained dependent on its provocative style & its distinctiveness from the established parties. The fate of the Schill Party shows the domesticating potential of parliamentary systems. 2 Tables. Adapted from the source document.

Schuett-Wetschky (2001) concluded that a criticism of the exodus of politics from institutions is not justified because it is based on an inadequate understanding of parliamentarism. However, in some respects, Schuett-Wetschky's model is also inadequate: by focusing on the group, it disregards the role of individuals; it also overlooks differences between the parliamentary group & the party organization; it thereby neglects the question of political accountability. Wilhelm Hennis (eg, 2000) has described accountability as a principal element of representative party democracy. His ideas provide a basis for a critical analysis of political decision making in Germany. Informal institutions, such as coalition committees tend to conceal those who are responsible for a decision. Therefore the exodus of politics from institutions results in the weakening of representative democracy. 35 References. Adapted from the source document.