-
Samenvatting
Whereas the six Dutch islands in the Caribbean all have a (very) limited population size, analyses of political problems on the islands rarely seem to take the variable of state size into account. The available academic literature demonstrates that the population size of states has a strong influence on the quality of democratic governance, although scholars disagree on the question whether smallness is an asset or an obstacle to democratic development. After a discussion of this theoretical literature, the present article proceeds with a presentation of field research in three small island states (St. Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, and Palau) in which the political consequences of a limited population size are analyzed. This analysis reveals that a number of size-related effects can be observed in all three examined island states, among which a tendency to personalistic competition, strong polarization between parties and politicians, particularistic relationships between voters and their representatives, and a dominant position of the political executive vis-à-vis other institutions. A subsequent analysis of the contemporary political situation on the Dutch Caribbean islands shows that the observed problems also play a role on these islands, which indicates that smallness is perhaps of greater significance than is now often supposed.
Beleid en Maatschappij |
|
Artikel | Klein maar fijn?De effecten van kleinschaligheid op het karakter van politiek en democratie |
Trefwoorden | State Size, Dutch Caribbean Islands, Democracy, Good Governance, Personalistic Politics |
Auteurs | Dr. Wouter Veenendaal |
DOI | 10.5553/Benm/138900692013040004002 |
Auteursinformatie |
Toegang tot dit losse artikel kopen
Voor een vast bedrag van € 19,75 (excl. btw) koopt u 24 uur online toegang tot dit artikel. Met deze 24 uur toegang kunt u een artikel online raadplegen en in PDF downloaden en printen.
Per mail ontvangt u een activatiecode waarmee u 24 uur toegang tot het artikel kunt activeren.
24 uur toegang | € 19,75 (excl. btw) |
Uw aankoop activeren
Heeft u een activatiecode, dan kun u uw product hier activeren.