What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore how associative democracy can address current challenges faced by liberal democracies through a corporatist framework.

April 23, 2026Open Access

The Necessity of Associative Democracy: Bringing Corporatism Back In

Key Points

The aim is to explore how associative democracy can address current challenges faced by liberal democracies through a corporatist framework.
Introduces a two-tiered structure of associative democracy.
Examines the integration of corporatism beyond labor relations into areas like education and climate change.
Proposes institutional representation for commons through confederate bodies.
Presents a model for governance that integrates corporatism into diverse domains.
Suggests that commons must remain independent from state bureaucracies to preserve authenticity.
Highlights the necessity for mandated consultations between commons and Tier 1 actors.

Abstract

Abstract Liberal electoral democracies face serious intrinsic as well as external problems that threaten their viability. Associative democracy (AD) holds the promise of alleviating them. I argue that a long but currently strangely ignored tradition of (neo-)corporatism has demonstrated the feasibility of associative governance arrangements. Nothing prevents governments to push corporatism into domains other than labor relations, such as education, health, housing, or climate change. I propose a two-tiered structure of AD in which extended classic corporatism forms Tier 1 and a layer of commons Tier 2. To maintain their creative, authentic organization, which collides with the organization of state bureaucracies, commons must not be integrated into state structures. Instead, they must be institutionally represented through confederate bodies which are mandatorily consulted by Tier 1 actors.

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