Ideas as close as possible to power: Belgian political parties and their study centres

Abstract

Belgium, like Italy, is often considered a text book example of partitocracy. The dominance of political parties involves many functions and dysfunctions in a polity that is highly fragmented along linguistic and ideological lines. Political parties not only assert their institutional position as gate keepers to what demands and interests are aggregated for legislative and executive politics. They also play a dominant role in the policy-making process, by framing problems, ideologically promoting solutions, and negotiating compromises in the cumbersome formation and continuation of coalition government. Like other actors who play a role in the policy-making process, political party organisations too are faced with the increasing complexity of problems, and with the demand to back up their proposals with expert-based argumentation. In Belgium, each party organisation comprises a study service. Although their origin and history has been documented in general party organisation studies, this chapter is the first contribution to understanding the way these intra-party study units are organized and how they generate policy relevant advice. Findings concern all major political parties, across the language border.

Resisting Devolution? The Advisory Roles of Political Scientists in Belgium

“…Think tanks lie at the intersection of the academic and societal arenas. They have only started to emerge quite recently in Belgium, as their function is traditionally "performed by professionalized political party study centres" (Pattyn et al, 2017). Even though there is no strong think-tank culture, several political scientists are connected to, or are on the boards of, think tanks, or they provide input to the occasional papers these centres of policy advice produce.…”