ABSTRACT
Political and societal elites are increasingly confronted with complex environments in which they continuously have to make (collective) decisions. Following Luhmann (1995), complexity is a core consequence of modernization. Modern societies are in essence characterized by increasing levels of diversity and specialization. This has enabled individuals to emancipate and make their own decisions, but at the same time, it has also immensely challenged societies to establish governance structures, leadership and communication that allow the direction of the social system as a whole. Complexity expresses itself in different ways, as the nature of policy issues and communication by political elites and mass media has become interlinked and transnational. Climate change, social justice, diversity, migration, economic development, technology, security, etc., all incorporate multiple dimensions and transcend the boundaries of the traditional nation state (Blühdorn, 2009). These developments have urged political elites to adapt, both at institutional and individual levels.
