Decisiveness and Fear of Disorder: Political Decision-Making in Times of Crisis (Configurations: Critical Studies of World Politics) - Softcover

Julius Maximilian Rogenhofer (author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0472056050 ISBN 13: 9780472056057

Publisher: University of Michigan Press, 2024

Synopsis

Examines how the need to appear decisive becomes the paramount consideration for politicians in crisis situations Decisiveness and Fear of Disorder examines how democratic representatives make decisions in crisis situations. By analyzing parliamentary asylum debates from Germany’s Asylum Compromise in 1992-1993 and the 2015-2016 refugee crisis, Julius Rogenhofer identifies representatives’ ability to project decisiveness as a crucial determinant for whether the rights and demands of irregular migrants were adequately considered in democratic decision-making. Both crisis situations showcase an emotive dimension to the parliamentary meaning-making process. As politicians confront fears of social and political disorder, they focus on appearing decisive in the eyes of the public and fellow representatives, even at the expense of human rights considerations and inclusive deliberation processes. Rogenhofer shows how his theoretical approach allows us to reinterpret a range of crisis situations beyond the irregular migration context, including democracies’ initial responses to Covid-19, the European Sovereign Debt Crisis, and United States climate politics. These additional case studies help position concerns with decisiveness amid the challenges that populism and technocracy increasingly pose to representative democracies.

About this title

About the Author

Julius Maximilian Rogenhofer is a solicitor and a Visiting Fellow at KU Leuven. He obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge, Jesus College in 2022.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Michigan Press
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0472056050
• ISBN 13: 9780472056057
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208