Cross-national variation in air pollution levels is examined as a function of institutional factors in environmental policy-making. Data from OECD countries on man-made emissions are used.
Secondary data on voter turnout rates in 16 modern democratic industrial countries are used to elucidate relationships between voter turnout & party polarization, number of parties, absence or ...presence of postmaterialist parties, proportional representation, & compulsory voting. Simple & multiple regression analyses show that the degree of party polarization & the absence or presence of postmaterialist parties have a significant impact on voter turnout, & that an increase of political stimuli within an area corresponds to a higher rate of voter turnout. 3 Tables, 6 Figures, 45 References. A. Cole
Austrian corporatism is in retreat. Created to represent "material" interests, it can not accommodate the rise of "new politics" issues. Quantitative and qualitative analysis provides strong evidence ...that corporatist institutions have fallen behind the social modernization of Austria during the past twenty years. In contrast, the Austrian parliament is becoming more influential. The "private" functional (corporatist) bodies, often considered to be undemocratic, are losing influence, while "public" institutions such as political parties and parliament are gaining power in originating, shaping, and influencing legislation.
Hans Keman's and Paul Pennings's critique (‘Managing Political and Societal Conflict in Democracies: Do Consensus and Corporatism Matter?’, this Journal, preceding pages) of our attempt to link ...corporatism and consensus democracy falls essentially into three parts. Their first criticism deals with the way we measured corporatism. They reject our ‘composite’ approach on the basis that different experts have different conceptual understandings of corporatism. Hence, they argue, it is unwarranted to add up these various scores. Secondly, they claim that our central relationship between consensus democracy and corporatism is a function of our particular measure of corporatism and, in addition, driven by two outlying cases: Italy and Austria. Thirdly, they claim that corporatism and consensus democracy are two different phenomena, and that therefore, corporatism should not be integrated into the concept of consensus democracy. We shall address these three main criticisms in the order described.
The toughest challenges to Austrian corporatism originate in the domestic sphere as a result of an increasing chasm between societal values & the political institutions that were designed to ...represent these values. The modernization process moves society ever further away from the cultural & sociological pillars on which corporatism was built, leading to a situation in which the corporatist apparatus is perceived to be increasingly out of touch with the demands of the public. In addition, political changes, such as the rise of postmaterial parties, & the inclusion of hitherto anticorporatist parties into a coalition government will further reduce the influence of corporatism on policy making. However, with Austria's accession to the European Union, & globalization pressures in general, the institutional structure of corporatism & the expertise of corporatists may well become a major asset in assisting Austria as it faces pressures towards convergence. 26 References. Adapted from the source document.
While the Austrian party system, based on a competitive electoral logic, is able to absorb the wide-ranging changes created by modernization in the last twenty-five years, the corporatist system, ...based on a protective logic, insulates itself from societal change. Corporatist organizations are designed to create societal stability. As societies experience dynamic change, the corporatist institutional structure not only becomes obsolete, but also hinders evolutionary institutional adaptation to a changing society. Corporatist institutions are increasingly out of touch with popular demands. The sources for this maladaptation reside within the central institutional features of corporatism themselves: organization of interests in peak associations, compulsory membership to three of the four strategic actors, & the decision rule of unanimity. 3 Figures. Adapted from the source document.
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