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The European Social Model under Pressure pp 15–31Cite as

Neo-corporatism and the responsiveness of democracy

Abstract

In this chapter, I want to discuss the relationship between neo-corporatism as a form of interest group representation and prevailing inequalities in democratic representation and responsiveness. In much of the existing literature on the role of public opinion and democratic policy-making (most of it from the US), interest group influence is portrayed as something that distracts policy-makers from implementing the will of the people, catering to ‘special interests’ instead. In contrast, the core normative foundation of corporatist decision-making is based on the idea that corporatist institutions are superior to interest group pluralism in the sense that corporatism ensures a proper representation of those interests that are difficult to organize and mobilize. In my contribution, I want to provide a critical theoretical discussion of the promises and challenges of corporatist decision-making in relation to the normative goal of ensuring a responsive and representative democracy, drawing on the work of Klaus Armingeon and others.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany

    Marius R. Busemeyer

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  1. Marius R. Busemeyer
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Correspondence to Marius R. Busemeyer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Romana Careja

  2. Department of Political Science, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Prof. Dr. Patrick Emmenegger

  3. Department of Political Science, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    Prof. Dr. Nathalie Giger

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Busemeyer, M.R. (2020). Neo-corporatism and the responsiveness of democracy. In: Careja, R., Emmenegger, P., Giger, N. (eds) The European Social Model under Pressure. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-27043-8_2

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