Netherlands and Belgium

Coping with multipartyism

Global Cinema Series

The Lives of Others (2006, Germany)

Monday, 3 March - 7 p.m.-10 p.m.Hampton Hall, Marine Institute

----------Directed by Florian Henckel van

Donnersmarck. Presented by Dr. John Buffinga.

The Dutch Party system:• Large number of parties facilitated by a permissive electoral system:

– Entire country is one national constituency– .67% of national vote (1/150) sufficient to win a seat in parliament

• Parties:– Socialist Party (SP)– Green Left (GL)– Labour (PvdA)– Democrats 66 (D66)– Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA)– Christian Union (CU)– Liberals (VVD)– Proud of Netherlands (Rita Verdonk)– Political Reformed Party (SGP-Orthodox Calvinist)– Freedom Party (PVV)

Forming governments:

• Role of the monarch– Preference for majority cabinets

• Informateurs

• Formateurs

• Coalition accords

Governing and policy processes

• Cabinet– Minister President barely first among equals– Relative autonomy of ministers & departments

• Relations between cabinet and parliament:– all parties free to criticize cabinet (‘dualism’)– Less adversarial tone

• Policy processes:– Frequent recourse to independent expertise– Slow & deliberate -- viscous– Extensive consultation with organized interests– Privileged (but sometimes challenged) role of social partners

• Role of pillars?

Belgium

• Substantial transfer of powers to Flemish, Wallonian &Brussels governments– negotiated by slow degrees

• Process of constitutional change:– Typically played as high stakes game– Deadlocks eventually resolved with compromise– Overall result: hollowing out of national government

• Pillars & segmented organizations:– Far more intact than in the Netherlands– Extract share of positions—politics of quid pro quo– Distribute welfare state benefits

Democracy in the Netherlands & Belgium

• Are either consociational democracies?– Why or why not?

• Are either consensus democracies?

• How democratic is consociational or consensus democracy?

• What happens when people diverge from the consensus?