Engineering representation in multilevel democracies: The Belgian case illustrating reflections on bicameral systems

Jakob Frateur; Petra Meier; Peter Bursens

doi:10.24965/gapp.11487

Autores/as

Jakob Frateur University of Antwerp. Faculty of Law (Bélgica – Belgium)
Petra Meier University of Antwerp. Department of Political Science (Bélgica – Belgium)
Peter Bursens University of Antwerp. Departement of Political Science (Bélgica – Belgium)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24965/gapp.11487

Palabras clave:

federalismo, unicameralismo, bicameralismo, representación política, Bélgíca

Resumen

Objetivos: en los sistemas federales, tanto el pueblo en su conjunto (demos) como los pueblos de las unidades constituyentes (demoi) deben estar representados, ya sea en un sistema unicameral o bicameral. En Bélgica, esta cuestión se debate cada vez más, hasta el punto de que la abolición de la segunda cámara figura en la agenda política. ¿Cuáles son las alternativas teóricas y empíricas para organizar la representación en los sistemas federales, y en qué medida pueden aplicarse a la federación belga? Mientras que la literatura sobre sistemas federales y la mayoría de las federaciones buscan una representación más óptima de los demoi, Bélgica se enfrenta al reto opuesto: cómo garantizar la representación del demos en una configuración que favorece la representación de los demoi. Metodología: se trata de un texto teórico y de reflexión, basado en la teoría del federalismo y en las aportaciones de, entre otros, los estudios sobre la UE. Resultados: en este artículo argumentamos que la solución para equilibrar esta representación puede ser unicameral o bicameral. El quid en ambas es un cambio en la elección de los diputados que representan al demos. Esto podría lograrse eligiendo a una parte de la Cámara de Diputados mediante una circunscripción federal de ámbito nacional. Conclusiones: la principal conclusión es la necesidad de prestar más atención a la representación del demos a nivel federal, especialmente en los sistemas de gobernanza multinivel caracterizados por la descentralización.

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Biografía del autor/a

Jakob Frateur, University of Antwerp. Faculty of Law (Bélgica – Belgium)

Jakob Frateur is a doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Law and at the Department of Political Science (Faculty of Social Sciences) at the University of Antwerp. His research focuses on citizens’ political trust in multilevel systems in times of crisis with emphasis on (modes of) multilevel governance and institutional structures.

Petra Meier, University of Antwerp. Department of Political Science (Bélgica – Belgium)

Petra Meier is professor in Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Antwerp. Her research focuses on the representation of gender and other social markers, with an emphasis on the reproduction of inequality through political systems, politics and policies. For an overview of her publications please see: https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/staff/petra-meier/publications/

Peter Bursens, University of Antwerp. Departement of Political Science (Bélgica – Belgium)

Peter Bursens is professor in Political Science at the Faculty of Social Science of the University of Antwerp, member of the Politics and Public Governance research group, the GOVTRUST Centre of Excellence and chair of the Jean Monnet Centre STRATEGO. His research focuses on democratic legitimacy of multilevel political systems, federalism and EU-politics (see https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/staff/peter-bursens/publications/).

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