Analyses of the historical origins of proportional representation (PR) in Belgium have helped shed light on the origins of electoral systems in Western Europe. Nevertheless, debates over what exactly led to the introduction of PR in Belgium persist. Was it electoral threat, Left existential threat or a combination of these two factors? This article applies the completeness standard for process-tracing and employs theoretical insights from the institutional change literature to evaluate these explanations. It re-examines the historical sources used by the extant scholarship of the Belgian case. It finds that both extra-institutional threat and electoral threat fluctuated over time, interacted with one another and mattered during different points of the electoral system reform process. In 1899, when pure PR was finally introduced, both of these factors played a role. |
Politics of the Low Countries
Over dit tijdschriftMeld u zich hier aan voor de attendering op dit tijdschrift zodat u direct een mail ontvangt als er een nieuw digitaal nummer is verschenen en u de artikelen online kunt lezen.
Article |
Appendix Using Process-Tracing to Evaluate Competing Accounts of Proportional Representation in Belgium |
Trefwoorden | proportional representation, Belgium, institutional change, electoral threat, extra-institutional threat, protest mobilisation |
Auteurs | Nina Barzachka |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Editorial |
Politics of the Low Countries Inaugurates the State of the Profession Section and a New Format for PhD Reviews |
Auteurs | Audrey Vandeleene, Maurits J. Meijers, Luana Russo e.a. |
Auteursinformatie |
Article |
Assessing Basic Income Feasibility Political Parties’ Positions on the French-Speaking Belgian Scene |
Trefwoorden | basic income, parties, political feasibility |
Auteurs | Floriane Geels |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Social protection systems are under growing pressure and face many challenges. Some argue that a universal basic income (BI) has the potential to transcend political cleavages and offer the ground for a welfare reform. While previous literature has increasingly tackled BI’s feasibility, ground-based research is still scarce. This study intends to fill this gap by considering the positions of five French-speaking Belgian parties (PTB, PS, Ecolo, Les Engagés and MR) on BI. Through a qualitative in-depth analysis of semi-structured interviews and grey literature, the article shows that BI proposals coming from liberals, democrats and ecologists are representative of the left-right cleavage. This is explained by the multidimensionality of the ‘basic income’ concept but also by diverging visions on work and society. By studying concrete parties’ positions, this article reveals the barriers and ways forward the path to BI’s strategic political feasibility in Belgium. |
Article |
Using Process-Tracing to Evaluate Competing Accounts of Proportional Representation in Belgium |
Trefwoorden | proportional representation, Belgium, institutional change, electoral threat, extra-institutional threat, protest mobilisation |
Auteurs | Nina Barzachka |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
Analyses of the historical origins of proportional representation (PR) in Belgium have helped shed light on the origins of electoral systems in Western Europe. Nevertheless, debates over what exactly led to the introduction of PR in Belgium persist. Was it electoral threat, Left existential threat or a combination of these two factors? This article applies the completeness standard for process-tracing and employs theoretical insights from the institutional change literature to evaluate these explanations. It re-examines the historical sources used by the extant scholarship of the Belgian case. It finds that both extra-institutional threat and electoral threat fluctuated over time, interacted with one another and mattered during different points of the electoral system reform process. In 1899, when pure PR was finally introduced, both of these factors played a role. |
State of the Profession |
The University in Crisis: Why (Neoliberal) Diversity Is Not the Answer |
Trefwoorden | diversity, gender equality, academia, policy, decolonization |
Auteurs | Dounia Bourabain |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The academic profession is often perceived as the epitome of meritocracy, while Critical Diversity and University scholars have demonstrated how it continues to grapple with gender and racial inequality across all levels. This article delves into the challenges of inequality in academia, particularly in the context of Belgian universities, and proposes a transformative approach to address these issues. Based on my previous work, I discuss how Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are misused and serve as a smokescreen to achieve the neoliberal interests of universities while remaining largely non-performative. Even more, EDI policies are introduced to bypass power, rather than change the power structures that continue to reproduce gender and racial inequality in academia. Using a praxis of hope, I move beyond identifying the problem by proposing the ‘University of the Common’ as an alternative academic system that goes beyond superficial diversity, aiming to create a university founded on social justice and in service of the common good. Key features include decolonizing knowledge, promoting antiracist feminist governance, and fostering a collective effort by academics to build an equitable university. |
State of the Profession |
Doing Political Science on the Eve of Destruction: Why I Decided to Leave Academia |
Trefwoorden | climate change, ecological crisis, political science profession |
Auteurs | Ramon van der Does |
SamenvattingAuteursinformatie |
The current human condition knows no precedent. Our species’ history is replete with societies crumbling and ecosystems collapsing. But never before has human existence itself been this clearly on the eve of destruction. What does this mean for political science? In this piece, I argue why now more than ever political scientists ought to reflect on the question how they are to spend the 80,000 hours of their careers and explain my own choice to quit academia and do political science outside of the university. |
PhD Summary & Review |
Summary: Searching for a Democratic Equaliser: How Citizenship Education Moderates Inequalities in Internal Political Efficacy |
Auteurs | Joke Matthieu |
Auteursinformatie |
PhD Summary & Review |
Summary: Political Legitimacy and Under-representation: How Do Citizens Evaluate the Political System? |
Auteurs | David Talukder |
Auteursinformatie |
PhD Summary & Review |
Summary: Unravelling a Mystery: The Influences of Deliberative Minipublics on Public Decision-Making |
Auteurs | Julien Vrydagh |
Auteursinformatie |
PhD Summary & Review |
Review: Unraveling a Mystery: The Influences of Deliberative Minipublics on Public Decision-making (PhD by Julien Vrijdagh, University of Stuttgart) |
Auteurs | Christoph Niessen |
Auteursinformatie |
PhD Summary & Review |
Summary: Homo, Hunter-Gatherer, Habermas: An Inquiry into Deliberation |
Auteurs | Ramon van der Does |
Auteursinformatie |
PhD Summary & Review |
Review: Homo, Hunter-gatherer, Habermas: An Inquiry into Deliberation and Human Nature (PhD by Ramon van der Does, Université catholique de Louvain) |
Auteurs | Florian van Leeuwen |
Auteursinformatie |