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762. Germany after the elections: A liberal dawn?
- Author:
- Timo Behr
- Publication Date:
- 10-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The German elections provided a clear mandate for current Chancellor Angela Merkel to form a new coalition government between her Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Liberals (FDP), led by Guido Westerwelle. Coalition talks between the two parties have started and are likely to be concluded by early November. The big winners of the elections have been the Liberals (+4.8%), as well as Germany's two other mid-sized parties, the Greens (+2.6%) and die Linke (+3.2%). The biggest loser of the elections were the Social Democrats (SPD) (-11.2%), who return to opposition after 11 years in government. Despite Angela Merkel's popularity, the electoral standing of the CDU has also deteriorated (-1.4%).Overall, the elections represent a clear shift in the political spectrum from left to right. They also indicate a further weakening of Germany's two “catch-all” parties, CDU and SPD, and will lead to a more fluid and less predictable party system. As the clear winners the Liberals are in a strong position to shape the agenda of the new government, especially when it comes to tax cuts and structural reforms. But it would be wrong to see the elections as a vote in favour of radical change. Rather, they were a vote against the unpopular grand coalition government. As a result, some friction between FDP and CDU might be unavoidable. In the short-run the domestic agenda will also be constrained by next year's elections in North-Rhine Westphalia; important because of their impact on the government's majority in the Bundesrat, Germany's upper chamber. At home, the new government will face a difficult trade-off between the campaign promises of windfall tax cuts and the pressing need of budget consolidation. Differences also remain over health care reforms and labour market policies, while there is a consensus on extending nuclear energy and corporate tax reforms. Broad, there will be few changes as Angela Merkel will dominate her inexperienced new foreign minister on all important foreign policy issues. As before, Germany will seek close ties with the US, but will only reluctantly grow into the role of a more “normal” international actor. In the EU, the new government will seek to play a constructive role, but is unlikely to be the source of new ideas and initiatives.
- Topic:
- Democratization and Politics
- Political Geography:
- Europe and Germany
763. Japanese governance reform: Daybreak in the land of the rising sun?
- Author:
- Alexandru Luta
- Publication Date:
- 10-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Finnish Institute of International Affairs
- Abstract:
- The recent elections for the lower house of Japan's Diet herald the end of the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) domination of Japanese politics. The winner, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), aims to thoroughly reform the way the country is governed. The strategic goals of the DPJ's reform agenda are to shift the locus of policy-drafting away from civil servants to the legislature, and to bring the latter firmly under the control of the Prime Minister's Cabinet. In order to be able to work towards its strategic goal, the DPJ needs tactical victories to maintain its popularity with the electorate. The climate negotiations' high profile makes domestic climate policy a natural area for the DPJ to differentiate its political brand from that of the LDP. Just as with governance reform, the DPJ has time and again asserted its commitment to pro-active climate goals both in pre-and post-electoral speeches, at home and abroad. Therefore it is very likely to continue pouring political capital into this policy area. The division between major ministries about how to formulate Japanese climate policy presents a willing Cabinet with structural advantages to assert its leadership successfully. The wider reforms currently being implemented further strengthen the new government's position. There are some factors that might limit the ability of Japan's new leadership to fight climate change. These include how their relationship with domestic media outlets shapes their approval ratings, how the positions of other stakeholders develop, how other electoral promises conflict with the new climate platform, and how the climate negotiations progress on the international level.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Government, Politics, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- Japan, Israel, and Asia
764. Lighting up the Intelligence Community: A Democratic Approach to Intelligence Secrecy and Openness
- Author:
- Laurie Nathan
- Publication Date:
- 04-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform
- Abstract:
- The most important and vexed issue relating to governance of the intelligence services in a democracy is arguably that of secrecy. It is the most important issue because the higher the level of secrecy, the harder it is to ascertain and assess the features and performance of the services. In the absence of adequate information, it is impossible to have a meaningful discussion on the role and orientation of the intelligence community, on the need for intelligence reform and on the vital question of whether the services are protecting or undermining the security and freedom of citizens.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Democratization, Intelligence, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- South Africa
765. Korruption und Demokratisierung Rekonstruktion des Forschungsstandes an den Schnittstellen zu Institutionenökonomik und politischer Transformationsforschung
- Author:
- Birgit Pech
- Publication Date:
- 09-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Institute for Development and Peace
- Abstract:
- The report aims to take stock of the state of research on the interdependent relationship between corruption and democratization. While “deep” democratization tends to reduce corruption, early stages of democratization rather lead to its increase. Endemic corruption tends to hamper democratization processes particularly when it takes the form of systemic state capture. It is often a symptom of overarching socio‐economic problems and fragile statehood, which also impact on the probability of successful democratization.
- Topic:
- Corruption and Democratization
766. Empirische Deliberationsforschung
- Author:
- Gary S. Schaal and Claudia Ritzi
- Publication Date:
- 09-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
- Abstract:
- The theory of deliberative democracy has strongly influenced philosophical work on democracy over the past twenty years. On at least a theoretical basis, deliberative democracy offers a promising way to improve both the legitimacy and the quality of political decisions at once. This prospect has motivated political scientists and politicians all over the world to implement and analyze a multitude of deliberative forums at all levels of the democratic decision-making process. But the question remains: Can real deliberations fulfill the promise of the theory? Empirical research on deliberation may provide the answer. In our paper, we first discuss the challenges that such studies present to deliberative theory. We then take a critical look at the empirical work that has been done so far on verifying deliberative democratic theory. Comparing different studies on this topic can be quite a frustrating experience, because their results tend to be disparate and sometimes even contradictory. We argue that in order to improve this situation, empirical scientists should pay more attention to the subjects of deliberation. For example, we believe that one of the keys to a successful deliberative process lies in how the topics of the discourse are framed.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Politics, and Political Theory
767. Representative versus Responsible Government
- Author:
- Peter Mair
- Publication Date:
- 09-2009
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
- Abstract:
- The changing circumstances in which parties compete in contemporary democracies, coupled with the changing circumstances in which governments now govern, have led to a widening of the traditional gap between representative and responsible government. Although it is generally seen as desirable that parties in government are both representative and responsible, these two characteristics are now becoming increasingly incompatible. Prudence and consistency in government, as well as accountability, require conformity to external constraints and legacies. This means more than just answering to public opinion. While these external constraints and legacies have become weightier in recent years, public opinion, in its turn, has become harder and harder for governments to read. Hence we see the growing incompatibility. Meanwhile, because of changes in their organizations and in their relationship with civil society, parties are no longer in a position to bridge or “manage” this gap, or even to persuade voters to accept it as a necessary element in political life. This growing incompatibility is one of the principal sources of the democratic malaise that confronts many Western democracies today.
- Topic:
- Democratization, Government, Politics, and Governance
768. Globalization and the Crisis of Authoritarian Modernization in Turkey
- Author:
- Hasan Kösebalaban
- Publication Date:
- 10-2009
- Content Type:
- Journal Article
- Journal:
- Insight Turkey
- Institution:
- SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research
- Abstract:
- Conventional models developed through the conceptual lenses of modernization theory dating back to the 1960s, are no longer applicable to Turkish politics; they fall short of grasping the changes that Turkish ideologies experienced in recent decades. In the face of Turkey's growing democratization and societal modernization, Turkish secularists have lost their status as agents of reform and gradually emerged as defenders of the status quo in the face of the rapid mobilization of Anatolian-based conservative society. However, no factor was more responsible for this transformation than the comprehensive external and internal structural changes that Turkey experienced in the post-Cold War era, leading to the emergence of a globalist conservative ideology in large parts of Anatolia. This paper examines the question of why those who are commonly associated in Western scholarly discourse with progress and modernity, have fallen behind the Muslim conservatives in pursuit of democratization and further integration of the country with the West. The paper argues that at the root of the present conflict lies the tension between two modernization routes: a bureaucratic top-down modernization that has allowed the allocation of privileges to the secularist/nationalist elites, and the grassroots socio-economic mobilization of conservative societal elements benefiting from international integration and globalization.
- Topic:
- Cold War and Democratization
- Political Geography:
- Turkey
769. Ethics International Affairs: A Reader, Third Edition
- Author:
- Joel H. Rosenthal (ed) and Christian Barry (ed)
- Publication Date:
- 02-2009
- Content Type:
- Book
- Institution:
- Georgetown University Press
- Abstract:
- No abstract is available.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Democratization, International Law, War, International Affairs, and Political Theory
770. Controlling Corporate Lobbying and Financing of Political Activities
- Publication Date:
- 06-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- Transparency International
- Abstract:
- Corporate lobbying and financing of political activities are carried out by most large corporations. Lobbying enables them to understand, track and shape the development of legislation and regulation. Financial and in-kind contributions to parties and campaigns can be used to support a country's political process and development. Both sets of activities, when undertaken with integrity and transparency by a company, can be a legitimate and positive force. Yet, the extensive funds at the disposal of businesses and the close relationship that exists between many companies and lawmakers can lead to undue, unfair influence in a country's policies and politics.
- Topic:
- Corruption, Democratization, and Politics