Democracy Beyond Elections pp 137-153 | Cite as
De-parliamentarisation of Government Accountability in Germany: Crisis or Transformation of Democracy?
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Abstract
Using the methodological framework set out in Chapter 5, this chapter assesses the German government accountability in the aftermath of media allegations. It establishes that the German parliament is the main forum for investigating the government but its ability to sanction the incumbents is eclipsed by the EU, the prosecutor and internal ministerial investigations. The findings reveal an interesting trend: while the role of parliament as a venue for imposing accountability may have diminished, the role of political parties as main players in the accountability processes has been preserved but it has metamorphosed and moved beyond parliament. Parties continue to be an important factor for sanctioning the government through party meetings outside of the legislature, through the popularity of the opposition party and others. These empirical trends could serve as a novel basis for appraising democracy through the lens of government accountability.
Keywords
Germany Parliament Party Democracy Media European UnionReferences
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