1. LG302 Comparative European Politics Germany: still the “Grand Coalition State”?

2. Majoritarian and consensual democracies According to Arend Lijphart A majoritarian democracy “concentrates power in the hands of the majority” A consensual democracy “tries to arrive at as much consensus as possible by restraining majority rule and by sharing, dispersing, and limiting political power” To distinguish between them, Lijphart focused on two political dimensions and 10 institutional characteristics

3. Majoritarian and consensual democracies

4. Consensual prototypes Majoritarian prototypes Consensus joint-power & Majoritarian federal-unitary Majoritarian joint-power & Consensus federal- unitary

5. West German State 1949  “When the parliamentary council designed the institutional framework of the provisional West German state in 1948–9 under the guidance of the Allied Powers, there was little controversy about the desirability to constrain executive power.  The experience of almost a century of strong and mainly disastrous executive leadership seemed to leave little alternative but to create a ‘semi- sovereign state’ with highly constrained and dispersed executive powers.” Thomas Pokuntke, in The Presidentialization of Politics, 2005, p. 63.

6. West German State = the consensual model Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian or consensual? Nature of executive powerConsensual Executive-legislative relationsConsensual Party systemConsensual Electoral systemConsensual Interest group systemConsensual Centre-periphery relationsConsensual Type of legislatureConsensual Type of constitutionConsensual Judicial reviewConsensual Central bankConsensual

7. Consensus joint-power & Majoritarian federal-unitary Consensual prototypes Majoritarian prototypes Majoritarian joint-power & Consensus federal-unitary

8. Vertical & horizontal division of power

9. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions? Govt dominates legislature or not? 2-party or multi-party system? FPTP or PR electoral system? Pluralist or corporatist interest groups? Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

10. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual 2000s Single-party govts or coalitions? Govt dominates legislature or not? 2-party or multi-party system? FPTP or PR electoral system? Pluralist or corporatist interest groups? Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank? German cabinets since 1949

12. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not? 2-party or multi-party system? FPTP or PR electoral system? Pluralist or corporatist interest groups? Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

13. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not? 2-party or multi-party system? FPTP or PR electoral system? Pluralist or corporatist interest groups? Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank? German cabinets since 1949

16. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system? FPTP or PR electoral system? Pluralist or corporatist interest groups? Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

17. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system? FPTP or PR electoral system? Pluralist or corporatist interest groups? Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

18. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system? FPTP or PR electoral system? Pluralist or corporatist interest groups? Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

19. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system?Consensual FPTP or PR electoral system? Pluralist or corporatist interest groups? Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

20. The electoral system

21. Mixed-member electoral representation

22. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system?Consensual FPTP or PR electoral system?Consensual Pluralist or corporatist interest groups? Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

23. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system?Consensual FPTP or PR electoral system?Consensual Pluralist or corporatist interest groups?Consensual Centralised or decentralised state? One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

24. Vertical & horizontal division of power

25. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system?Consensual FPTP or PR electoral system?Consensual Pluralist or corporatist interest groups?Consensual Centralised or decentralised state?Consensual One or two working chambers of parliament? Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

26. The legislative branch

27. The composition of the Bundesrat (69 seats)

28. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system?Consensual FPTP or PR electoral system?Consensual Pluralist or corporatist interest groups?Consensual Centralised or decentralised state?Consensual One or two working chambers of parliament?Consensual Flexible or rigid constitution? Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

29. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system?Consensual FPTP or PR electoral system?Consensual Pluralist or corporatist interest groups?Consensual Centralised or decentralised state?Consensual One or two working chambers of parliament?Consensual Flexible or rigid constitution?Consensual Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review? Dependent or independent central bank?

30. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system?Consensual FPTP or PR electoral system?Consensual Pluralist or corporatist interest groups?Consensual Centralised or decentralised state?Consensual One or two working chambers of parliament?Consensual Flexible or rigid constitution?Consensual Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review?Consensual Dependent or independent central bank?

31. Lijphart’s criteriaMajoritarian/ consensual Single-party govts or coalitions?Consensual Govt dominates legislature or not?Consensual? 2-party or multi-party system?Consensual FPTP or PR electoral system?Consensual Pluralist or corporatist interest groups?Consensual Centralised or decentralised state?Consensual One or two working chambers of parliament?Consensual Flexible or rigid constitution?Consensual Govt dominates judiciary or judicial review?Consensual Dependent or independent central bank?Consensual

32. Consensus joint-power & Majoritarian federal-unitary Consensual prototypes Majoritarian prototypes Majoritarian joint-power & Consensus federal-unitary

33. Consensus joint-power & Majoritarian federal-unitary Consensual prototypes Majoritarian prototypes Majoritarian joint-power & Consensus federal-unitary ?

34. Conclusion Germany is a good example of the consensual model of democracy. “ The growing structural opportunities for presidentialised governance in combination with the specific constraints of German cooperative federalism makes German chancellors resemble chief executives in truly presidential systems: they, too, combine high visibility and strong leadership in international affairs with a sometimes very constrained yet autonomous role in domestic politics.” (Poguntke, 2005, p. 81).