Thematic Framework

Democratic governance and civil society are central components of modern societies. They are testimony to the accomplishments of these societies, but remain an ever-present challenge. The prevailing consensus among modern societies, in accordance with their respective constitutional orders, is that democratic governance is the legitimate and most effective vehicle for political integration and conflict resolution. This assumes that a sufficient measure of “civility” is present within society, in terms of social interaction based on mutually accepted norms, and that such engagement serves the interests of all.

In Research Area IV, “Civil Society, Conflict and Democracy,” both of these premises are critically scrutinized. Do they still hold, however, when we are compelled to take into account new regulatory problems and conflicts associated with the globalization or transnationalization of social dynamics? This is the issue and the new challenge with which we are confronted: Are the assumptions of democratic governance valid for the newly emerging democracies of transitional societies and developing countries, whose respective economic and cultural histories may differ radically from those from which our developed Western democracies have sprung? Worldwide economic interdependence, global ecological hazards, and migratory pressures are problems of a magnitude that call into question the ability of nation-states to take effective action, and they are issues that fragment and divide states and national societies. How does and how must democracy adapt? How important is political governance buttressed by civil society self-organization? How is democratic participation achieved? How do specific types of violence and corresponding forms of control over violence develop?

This range of questions outlines the issues addressed in Research Area IV. The following summarizes the various topics and perspectives of current work, and elucidates the convergences and complementarities between some of the individual research units in this area.

Governance, democracy, migration, and problems of international relations are the main areas of focus in Research Area IV. The spectrum of topics ranges from macro-level institutions of the polity (constitutions, electoral systems), over the functions of networks and social movements, to micro-level processes dealing with concrete procedures and systems of negotiation. Within this range, thematic overlap creates the possibility for joint undertakings and cooperation between the research units, research groups, and research professorships. For example, the newly instituted project group, “Rule of Law,” is a joint undertaking of the Research Professorship (FP) “New Forms of Governance” in conjunction with the research units “Transnational Conflicts and International Institutions” (TKI) and “Democracy: Structures, Performance, Challenges (DSL). The TKI research unit and the research group “Civil Society, Citizenship and Political Mobilization in Europe (ZCM) share an interest in the important subject of nongovernmental organizations, whereby the work of each unit supplements that of the other: TKI’s focus is primarily on policy formulation and implementation; ZCM deals with political mobilization and agenda setting. The civil society orientation of business enterprises also constitutes a common area of interest between these research units. Various aspects to the “Europeanization” of the public and the democracy deficit in international governance are investigated and dealt with complimentarily by the DSL research unit, the ZCM research group, and FP Governance. The historical dimension of democratization and constitutional development is also examined and dealt with by the ZCM research group, in close cooperation with the Research Professorship “Historical Social Sciences” (HSW). Finally, the planned documentation center for research on intercultural conflict and societal integration could well be docked in Research Area IV: Strong connections and interest already exist vis-à-vis the units ZCM (which manages the protest data base, “Prodat”) and TKI.