Corporatism and Socioeconomic Conflict-Regulation

Abstract

In the international debate on corporatism as an approach of ‘associational interest intermediation’, one of the central issues is the relation between the deteriorating economic developments since the 1970s and the rise of corporatist modes of policy-making in Western Europe (Schmitter, 1979). Due to these worsening economic conditions societal conflict appeared to become intensified and political stability in jeopardy. In contrast to what political theories of pluralism would predict, attempts to head-off the crisis appeared to be made not only through democratic institutions, such as parliament and responsible government, on the one hand, and only initiated by political actors, such as parties, on the other hand, but through a complex of sociopolitical institutions dubbed corporatism. Hence, it has been argued that other actors are also involved in the ‘Political Chain of Democratic Control’ (see Figure 1.1). To put it even more strongly, there are other institutions that may well be crucial for understanding the ‘politics of problem-solving’, in particular policy-making regarding managing the ‘mixed economy’ (Czada, 1987; Keman, 1993a).