ABSTRACT

The prevailing positive image of civil society today is significantly linked to its beneficial contribution to better policy-making. Along with governmental and administrative units, all sorts of civil-society actors are associated to the formulation or the implementation of collectively binding decisions. Steering through cooperative governance mechanisms involving civil-society agents is praised for its positive effects in terms of policy efficiency and acceptance by target-groups. With cooperative governance, the classic distinction between state and civil society is blurred. Instead of authoritative decision-making, consensual will-formation brought about by common deliberation takes the lead.