Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

acquire a basic knowledge of democracy theories and models and identify the features of different actors in a democracy.
analyse a (political) conflict and its environment as well as the possibilities of interest enforcement within a democracy.

None

Various actors (parties, unions, chambers, media, civil society, ...) in a democracy represent a variety of interest groups. As intermediary organizations it is their responsibility to mediate between the policy makers and the communities they represent. In short, lobbying takes place in politics at all levels. Which forms of lobbying should be viewed favourably in the sense of broadening the basis for decision making and what kind of influence contradicts a democratic system? How can abuse of legal provisions be prevented? Who is involved in a decision and who is affected? These questions will be examined in the context of this course with concrete examples.

Schmidt, Manfred G. (2000). Demokratietheorien. Eine Einführung, Opladen.

Lecture, discussion, group work;

Written examination or work;