Dominance, Competition, Compromise or Consensus? Explaining Decision-Making Structures

Fischer, Manuel (2015). Dominance, Competition, Compromise or Consensus? Explaining Decision-Making Structures. In: Sciarini, Pascal; Fischer, Manuel; Traber, Denise (eds.) Political Decision-Making in Switzerland. The Consensus Model under Pressure. Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century (pp. 98-119). Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan UK 10.1057/9781137508607_5

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The previous chapter uncovered important differences between decision-making structures across the 11 processes investigated by this study. As we have noted, both historically and in much contemporary literature, the Swiss political system has been described as highly consensual. And yet, when we focus on differences between decision-making structures across different policy domains, important elements appear that point toward a more conflictual style of decision-making. Both when there is a power balance between coalitions and in the presence of a dominant coalition, coalition interactions are conflictual in the majority of cases. Based on the descriptive account of these differences in Chapter 4, the present chapter studies the conditions under which given decision-making structures emerge. Under which circumstances are actors able to form a dominant coalition, and which conditions lead to a situation where power is more evenly balanced between coalitions? Which conditions lead actors to develop a conflictual rather than a consensual type of interaction? Answering these questions can give us some indication of the factors responsible for different types of decision-making structures.

Item Type:	Book Section (Book Chapter)
Division/Institute:	03 Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences > Other Institutions > Teaching Staff, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences 03 Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Institute of Political Science
UniBE Contributor:	Fischer, Manuel (B), Fischer, Manuel (B)
Subjects:	300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 320 Political science
ISBN:	978-1-349-70160-5
Series:	Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Language:	English
Submitter:	Jeremy Simeon Trottmann
Date Deposited:	19 Jul 2016 11:13
Last Modified:	29 Mar 2023 23:34
Publisher DOI:	10.1057/9781137508607_5
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Democracy, European Politics, European Union Politics, Political Philosophy, Political Sociology, Political Theory
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/82804