Ist die Zusammenarbeit in den Agglomerationen auf dem demokratischen Weg?

Abstract

The question of the “democratic architecture” of metropolitan areas implies the much more fundamental question of the content and aims of democracy. Using Scharpf's complex theory of democracy as the starting point for a comprehensive approach that takes into account the input and the output of the political system as well as normative assumptions and empirical facts, a set of democratic criteria are established. In a summarized overview, the empirical results and theoretical implications of a polity evaluation study of four models of cooperation between local governments in the metropolitan area of Berne are then presented. In the conclusion, it is argued that the comprehensive approach used for the study may also serve as an analytical or conceptual framework for the practical establishment of a democratic political structure for metropolitan areas. Finally, a review of the model from the “Agglomerationsstrategie Region Bern” in the light of the results is formulated.