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?