Competition theory
The Anglo-Saxon competition theory , also known as the theory of elites , is a theory of democracy that is not based on a unified will, but on the division of society against the background of different economic interests and ideological and political wills. It is in contrast to identity theory .
history
A representative of competition theory was the Austrian economist and social theorist Joseph Alois Schumpeter . Similar to the elitist theory of democracy of the German sociologist Max Weber, the latter saw the democratic path as "that order of institutions for reaching political decisions in which individuals acquire decision-making authority through a competition for the votes of the people ."
Voter picture
The essential characteristics of the voter image in competition theory are:
- Reduced sense of responsibility (to actively participate in politics)
- Small expressions of will
- Little or no political participation ( apathy , alienation )
Conception of society
The essential characteristics of the conception of society in competition theory are:
- Political groups influence society ( parties , associations , trade unions )
- The will of the people is formed (see above)
- pluralism
- Main task of choosing political elites (elite theory)
State conception
The essential characteristics of the state conception in competition theory are:
- Regulation of competition (rules / methods)
- Election of representatives
- Indirect democracy
criticism
The following points of criticism are mentioned:
- There is little political interest among citizens because parties make the decisions for the citizens
- Danger that the elites will enforce their own interests (elite pluralism)
- Endangering popular rule, as politicians are not bound by election promises
Web links and literature
- Identity and Competition Theory
- Joseph A. Schumpeter: Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy. 4th edition, Munich 1950
- Peter Massing, Gotthard Breit: Theories of Democracy: From Antiquity to the Present. Texts and Interpretation, Schwalbach 2001
Individual evidence
- ↑ Joseph A. Schumpeter, 1942, p. 428.
- ↑ A. Pitsoulis, H. J. Schlösser: Economic and political competition as a discovery process. ( Memento of the original from September 27, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF).
