Table I

Mediating Factors in Social-Democratic Reform Project

Policy legacies Depends on history, culture, interests, institutional arrangement.

Social democracy means very different things in different countries at different times
Problems 'Events'…Presence or absence of crisis; economic vulnerability

Some countries have greater problems than others because of legacies
Political institutional capacity Ability to impose or negotiate change depending upon political interactions and institutional arrangements

'Simple Polities' (UK, NZ, Fr, Gr, Port) where governing activity has traditionally been channeled through a single authority have the capacity to impose change subject to sanctions of elections (UK, NZ pre 1990s, Fr) or protest (Fr)

'Compound polities' (B, US, Ger, It, Dk, NL, Sw) where governing activity is dispersed among multiple authorities negotiate change subject to sanctions from lack of agreement (Ger, US, Dk) or protest (It)
Preferences Do policy actors, political actors, and the public shift their preferences in response to the problem and, if so, how?

Special problems for social-democrats because of legacies of post-war era
Discourse Ability to change preferences by altering perceptions of problems and legacies
and thereby to enhance political institutional capacity to impose or negotiate change

Table II

The Ideas in the Discourse

Ideas:
  • what you say (substance of ideas)
    • cognitive––soundness of ideas that define policy purposes and objectives, propose solutions to problems, define policy instruments and methods
      ––justifies in terms of logic of necessity
    • normative––resonance of ideas with values of public life, whether long-standing or newly-emerging
      ––legitimizes through logic of appropriateness
  • how you say it (criteria for success)
    • psychological imponderables and medium of delivery
    • 'truthfulness'
    • relevance, applicability
    • coherence, consistency

Table III

Discourse as an Interactive Process

It's not just what you say and how you say it.

It is also:
  • to whom you say it (interlocutors) in public sphere (two overlapping spheres)
    • In policy sphere, a coordinative discourse among policy actors
      seeking to come to agreement on policy program,
      getting ideas from discursive communities (epistemic communities, advocacy coalitions, strong publics, discursive policy networks);
      --stronger emphasis on the cognitive aspects of ideas
    • In political sphere, a communicative discourse b/w political leaders and public (informed publics, general publics)
      engaged in deliberation and legitimization;
      --stronger emphasis on the normative aspects of ideas
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Table IV

Discourse in Institutional Context

It's not just what you say, how, and to whom.

It is also:
  • where you say it (institutional context)
    • in a simple polity, the communicative discourse is highly elaborate, the coordinative thin
      a restricted elite makes policy (given concentration of power in executive) and then 'communicates' ideas for elaborate debate and deliberation in the wider public/political sphere
      authoritative tenor to promote acceptance; adversarial tone to anticipate negative reactions
      thinness of coordinative discourse makes protest only recourse, through elections, demonstrations, strikes

      --legitimacy enhanced when participation in deliberation increased through:
      more open deliberative processes in coordinative sphere
      delegate policy construction to committees of sages
      create coordinative discourse b/w societal interests in the shadow of the state
      give decision-making responsibility to independent regulatory agency
    • in a compound polity, the coordinative discourse is highly elaborate, the communicative thin
      a wide range of policy actors coordinates agreement (given dispersion of power in multiple authorities) and communicates it to constituencies in terms of own cognitive/ normative criteria
      contractual in tenor, to promote negotiation; cooperative in tone, to smooth agreement
      thinness of communicative discourse to the general public leaves it with little orienting/legitimising info

      --legitimacy enhanced where the coordinative discourse is inclusive, transparent, responsive
      --but legitimacy is undermined where
      the coordinative discourse marginalises certain groups
      it occurs behind closed doors that don't leak, leaving the public in dark about agreements
      the thinness of the coordinative discourse leaves the way open to communicative discourses by the political extremes
 
 
 
 
 
 

Table V

Role of Political Institutional Capacity and Discourse for Work and Welfare Reform Success

Countries' reform initiatives in
Work and Welfare
Institutions Political Institutional Capacity Discourse Reform Success
Simple Compound Coordinative Communicative
UK Thatcher Work '80-'87
      Welfare '85-'90
Blair Work/Welf 97-'02
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
  + + +
+ + +
+ + +
– – –
– – –
– – –
+ + +
+
+ + +
+ + +
+
+ + +
NL Work '80s
Welfare '94
Welfare '98
 
+
+
+ + – – –
+ +
+ +
+ + +
+
+
+
– –
+ + +
+ + +
+
+ + +
D Kohl Work/Welf mid '90s
Schröder Work/Welf late'90s
      Welfare '03–
  + + +
+ + +
+ + +
+
+
+
+

– –

– –
+

– –
+?
DK Work/Welfare'80s–'90s   + + + + + + + + – – + + +
Sw Work/Welf '90s +   + + – – + + + +
Italy      Work/Welf '80s
Berlusconi Work/Welf'94
Dini Work/Welf '95
Berlusconi Welfare '04
+ + + + +
+ + +
+ + +
– – –
+
+
– – –
– – –
+ + +
– –
– – –

+ + +
+
– – –
– – –
+ +
France Mitterrand Work'80s
Juppé Welfare '95–'97
Jospin Work/Welf '97–'02
Raffarin Welfare '03
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
+ + +
  + +
+ +
+ +
+ +
– – –
– – –
+
+ + +
– – –
+ + +
+ +
+ + +
– – –
+
+ +
 
 
 
 
 
 

Figure 1

The flow of ideas and discourse among actors in the policy process

Legend: Solid arrows show direction of ideas and discourse, dotted arrows show feedback, overlap shows where some actors may operate in both spheres.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Figure 2

Policy programs and political program in coordinative and communicativediscourse in the public sphere

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Figure 3

Discourse interactions in simple and compound national polities

Figure 3
©2005 byVivian A. Schmidt
formated and tagged by KH, 25.6.2005