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The Interactive State: Democratisation from Above?

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  • Tjitske Akkerman
  • Maarten Hajer
  • John Grin

Abstract

The work of Robert Putnam has provoked a lively debate on the democratic importance of a robust civil society. Criticism of his work concentrates on the fact that his concept of social capital conceives of the relationship between civil society and government predominantly as a one‐way affair – a strong civil society is good for politics. Taking up this line of argument, an appreciation of political factors is promoted to explain varying patterns of civic engagement. Now that Western governments increasingly initiate and stimulate citizens’ participation in policy‐making, it is becoming even more important to assess the role of the state. Drawing on recent empirical research on local practices in the Netherlands, we examine a Dutch variant of such top‐down participatory arrangements – so‐called ‘interactive policy‐making’. We ask whether, and under what conditions, democratic advances can be expected from top‐down state initiatives. And we develop a theoretical framework for assessing the democratic effects of top‐down participatory initiatives. Squaring the main theoretical criteria with the empirical reality of interactive policy‐making, we conclude that an active state does not necessarily corrode civil society.

Suggested Citation

  • Tjitske Akkerman & Maarten Hajer & John Grin, 2004. "The Interactive State: Democratisation from Above?," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 52(1), pages 82-95, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:52:y:2004:i:1:p:82-95
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2004.00465.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Vivien Lowndes & David Wilson, 2001. "Social Capital and Local Governance: Exploring the Institutional Design Variable," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 49(4), pages 629-647, September.
    2. William Maloney & Graham Smith & Gerry Stoker, 2000. "Social Capital and Urban Governance: Adding a More Contextualized ‘Top‐down’ Perspective," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 48(4), pages 802-820, September.
    3. Tarrow, Sidney, 1996. "Making Social Science Work Across Space and Time: A Critical Reflection on Robert Putnam's Making Democracy Work," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 90(2), pages 389-397, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Philippe Koch, 2013. "Bringing Power Back In: Collective and Distributive Forms of Power in Public Participation," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(14), pages 2976-2992, November.
    2. Wiebren Kuindersma & Froukje G Boonstra, 2010. "The Changing Role of the State in Dutch Regional Partnerships," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 28(6), pages 1045-1062, December.
    3. Nanke Verloo, 2023. "Ignoring people: The micro-politics of misrecognition in participatory governance," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 41(7), pages 1474-1491, November.
    4. Mandy Lau, 2014. "Flexibility with a Purpose: Constructing the Legitimacy of Spatial Governance Partnerships," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(9), pages 1943-1959, July.
    5. Erik Swyngedouw, 2005. "Governance Innovation and the Citizen: The Janus Face of Governance-beyond-the-State," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 42(11), pages 1991-2006, October.

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