DOI: 10.5553/RP/048647001981023001125

Res PublicaAccess_open

Article

Noodzaak en overwicht van de politieke partij in de polyarchie

Analyse van de structurele en actionele determinanten van de particratie in België

Authors
DOI
Show PDF
Abstract Statistics Citation
This article has been viewed times.
This article been downloaded 0 times.
Suggested citation
Wilfried Dewachter, "Noodzaak en overwicht van de politieke partij in de polyarchie", Res Publica, 1, (1981):125-151

    The Belgian polyarchy has developed into a «particracy» in which the political parties have a preponderant impact on the political decisionmaking. As in every polyarchy, the political parties fulfill a set of vital functions in the Belgian system. But that does not explain its «particratie» particularity. The particracy arises as a consequence of four factors. The parties are fixed by the «zuilen» (pillars) into an «internal-imperialistic» role. The power of the parties increased considerably, an increase of which the politization of the instruments for, and the agencies of, policy is one of the most important, together with the capability of making and unmaking issues. The impact and power of the opponents of the parties in the decision-making process have been diminished to a considerable extent. This weakening involves the king, the parliament, theadministration, the electorate, and, ultimately, the cabinet because of the growing impact of the parties on policy design and policy output as well as on the appointment of ministers. Finally, the choice of the consociational pattern of politics of accomodation by the elite indicates the instrumental function of particracy in Belgian politics.

Dit artikel wordt geciteerd in


Print this article