Decisiveness and Fear of Disorder

Political Decision-Making in Times of Crisis

Subjects: Political Science, Governance, Human Rights, Political History
Open Access : 9780472903399, 208 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, 6 x 9, March 2024
Paperback : 9780472056057, 208 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, 6 x 9, March 2024
Hardcover : 9780472076055, 208 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, 6 x 9, March 2024

The open access version of this book is made available thanks in part to the support of libraries participating in Knowledge Unlatched
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Examines how the need to appear decisive becomes the paramount consideration for politicians in crisis situations

Table of contents

Introduction
PART I: THEORY                                                                                                     
Chapter 1: A pluralistic conception of laws as social institutions
Chapter 2: Upholding appearances in times of crisis
PART II: GERMANY’S ASYLUM-COMPROMISE
Chapter 3: From sacred order to a constitutional amendment
PART III: THE "REFUGEE CRISIS"                                               
Chapter 4: From welcome culture to loss of control
PART IV: DISCUSSION                                                                                           
Chapter 5: Decisiveness, rights and irregular migration
Chapter 6: Decisiveness in contemporary democratic politics
Chapter 7: Decisiveness and the crisis of democracy
Conclusion
REFERENCES                                  

Description

Decisiveness and Fear of Disorder examines how democratic representatives make decisions in crisis situations. By analyzing parliamentary asylum debates from Germany’s Asylum Compromise in 1992-1993 and the 2015-2016 refugee crisis, Julius Rogenhofer identifies representatives’ ability to project decisiveness as a crucial determinant for whether the rights and demands of irregular migrants were adequately considered in democratic decision-making. Both crisis situations showcase an emotive dimension to the parliamentary meaning-making process. As politicians confront fears of social and political disorder, they focus on appearing decisive in the eyes of the public and fellow representatives, even at the expense of human rights considerations and inclusive deliberation processes. 

Rogenhofer shows how his theoretical approach allows us to reinterpret a range of crisis situations beyond the irregular migration context, including democracies’ initial responses to Covid-19, the European Sovereign Debt Crisis, and United States climate politics. These additional case studies help position concerns with decisiveness amid the challenges that populism and technocracy increasingly pose to representative democracies.

Julius Maximilian Rogenhofer is a solicitor and a Visiting Fellow at KU Leuven. He obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge, Jesus College in 2022.

“Rogenhofer presents an important contribution to political theory and discussions about the current crisis of democracy and the logic of political action. Decisiveness and Fear of Disorder sheds light not only on the intertwining of decisiveness and emotionality in migration policy and beyond, but also on the potentials of such a consideration for general empirical research on democracy and crisis.”

- Reiner Keller, University of Augsburg

“This is an outstanding book: meticulously researched, passionately argued and tackling a timely issue, Decisiveness and Fear of Disorder is a gem. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in politics and world affairs.”

- Filipe Carreira da Silva, author of The Politics of the Book