Democracy Without a Majority?
This seminar will focus on Michael Koß's new book, Demokratie ohne Mehrheit? (“Democracy Without a Majority?”) which received widespread media attention in Germany because of its provocative argument that the era of mass parties – the bulwarks of postwar democracy – may be over. How can democracy survive if its primary carriers are disintegrating? Koß makes the case that the end of the Cold War has precariously returned central European politics to the fractious roots that existed before WWII. The discussion has special relevance as negotiations are underway in the Federal Republic of Germany to create a three-party government coalition – a historic first.
Speakers
Michael Koß, Professor for the Political System of Germany and the EU, Leuphana University Lüneburg
Thomas Zittel, Professor for Comparative Politics, Goethe University; External Fellow at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES), University of Mannheim; Max Weber Chair in German and European Studies, NYU
Note: This event requires registration. Please RSVP here.
Sponsors
- Seminar on Democracy: Past, Present, and Future
- Berlin Social Science Center (WZB) – Research Unit on Transformations of Democracy
- Central European University – Democracy Institute
- Collegium Civitas – Centre for Studies of Democracy, Civil Society and Political Elites
- Johns Hopkins Univeersity - SNF Agora Institute
The event is part of theSeminar Series: Democracy – Past, Present, and Future (Chairs: Daniel Ziblatt, WZB; Grzegorz Ekiert, Harvard University).