ABSTRACT
Introduction: the complexity of consensus democracies Following the historical overview and explanation of the constitutional orders of our five countries, it is important to briefly review the socio-political and cultural foundations of these consensus democracies. A short description of their welfare states, political cultures and civil societies should be sufficient in this regard. The West Central European democracies are highly complex societies that are heavily reliant on the population’s strong social trust. Although we lack the space required to fully discuss the theoretical aspects of a postmodern society, it may suffice to characterise such an entity as a ‘society of organisations’ due to the fact that the welfare state contributes to the socialisation and structuring of individuals into a collective from ‘cradle to grave’ (for more on this concept, see Ahrne 1990; on structuration theory, see Giddens 1984, 1985). This chapter will focus first on the structuring aspects of the welfare state in consensus democracies. Subsequently, the systemic political cultures of these countries will be analysed. Finally, some references will be made to the strong civil societies that exist in these countries.
