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Netherlands and Belgium

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:.

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Netherlands and Belgium

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  1. Netherlands and Belgium Coping with multipartyism

  2. 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.

  3. 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)

  4. Forming governments: • Role of the monarch • Preference for majority cabinets • Informateurs • Formateurs • Coalition accords

  5. 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?

  6. 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

  7. 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?

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