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- Distribution
of
responsibilities (1)
The global framework of an efficient democracy is based on a general
consent over the distribution of responsibilities for particular
objectives or tasks. These
responsibilities are specific or joint.
- Specific
responsibilities and corresponding instruments
An
efficient
democracy privileges specific
responsibilities. They are assumed by those actors of society that are
the most able to rationally do so. This implies an understanding on
which objectives or tasks
are assumed by which of the main actors of
society and on how sufficient instruments are assigned to the
respective objectives or tasks (principle of proportionality)
- Organizations
and
institutions acting in the medium and long term general interest
- Political
parties:
- Their candidates must prove before an
independent institution their
ability to exercise the office desired
- The major task of
each political party
is to prepare its draft governmental
program pointing out how it intends to convert into political
action the citizen's will while respecting the principles of an
efficient democracy
To this end each party proceeds in two stages
- Examination
of the political desires and suggestions on
their
consistency among themselves and with the medium and long term general
interest. They include above all
- the preferences expressed by the
citizens
- the proposals of reform set out by
independent institutions
- Setting
up - based on this examination - of their draft governmental
program while respecting the standards and principles of a
"Standardized Systems of Comprehensive Political Programs“ (more)
- Public
institutions
- Parliament
and Government. They create and maintain for the society a stable and efficient global framework,
providing in particular good conditions for a healthy and
self sustained dynamic economy. This framework
- is granting enterprises and
labour the
possibility of flexibility and
differentiation, thus enabling them in an unstable economic
environment (technical progress, international competition,
internationalization of production) to adjust quickly to new
requirements (with new products, new production processes, new types of
organization)
- offers general acceptable regulations of the labour market,
i.e.
- it is protecting the possibilities of unemployed
and those threatened by unemployment to earn themselves their living,
i.e. granting them a protection against the particular cartel based
interests of employed labour (taking into account the competition
between freedom of coalition and individual liberty rights). In other
words: Unemployed and those threatened by unemployment are given the
right to use possibilities of earning their living at conditions they
consider sufficient (despite existing collective agreements)
- enabling both sides of
industry
to fix wages and salaries and other tariff bound conditions at levels
that meet their responsibility for matching supply and demand on the
labour market, i.e. for a high level
of employment
- corresponds to the long term
interest
in maintaining good investment
conditions. That applies in particular to the three most
important determinant for the location of factors of production, such
as labour and fixed capital, i.e. to their
- qualification,
- costs
- reliability (more)
- is imposing the same simple and binding standards
of behavior on all institutions and
levels of public authorities,
in particular for the global development of their
receipts, expenditures and debts
- is thereby creating the
conditions and
means for a dynamic social policy
- obliges parliament and government
to
respect their responsibility for the
interests of future generations.
- Government:
It is
appointed by the parliament and executes the governmental program
elected by the citizens
- Parliament:
It supervises
the execution of the governmental program and can decide an adjustment
of the program , if
- the absolute
majority of the citizens entitled to vote points out in the
two year questionnaires, which adjustment of the governmental program
it is wishing
- unexpected
questions of principle are requiring a fast decision
- Independent
sovereign institutions.
They have the ability to impose
conditions on other economic subjects but also the obligation to
communication, transparency and accountability on behalf of the public.
This obligation is the basis of their independence as well as the
foundation of its reliability and acceptance with the citizen.
- Sovereign
institutions for traditional tasks.
Their autonomy is confirmed
by an independent organ appointing recognized experts into their
steering committee. These institutions are committed to act impartially
in the long term general interest. Among these institutions figure
- the central
bank with its only task of ensuring the stability of the price levels of gross
domestic product (goods and services) and assets (financial and
non financial) at constant quality ("monetary stability")
- the courts
- the court
of auditors
- the supervisory
boards for the monitoring and regulation of competition, stock
exchange, financial markets, insurance, telecommunication etc.
- Authority
for safeguarding the general interest in
the medium and long term.
Withstanding the actual predominance of innumerable short term
interests as well as the strong pressure of particular groups of
interests requires an authority sui generis with firmly rooted
independence and special powers.
- Organization
- The Authority is directed by a board counting a restricted number
of members (for example 7). The members have a minimum age (for example
55 years) and the duration of their mandate exceeds by far the usual
legislature (for example 8 years). They are appointed, without
possible re-nomination, by independent institutions and other
organizations, for example
- two by the university
faculties of
economic and social sciences
- two by the central bank
and/or the
court of auditors
- two by the Independent
Authority
itself (co-option)
- one by the Public Authorities
(Parliament or government in alternation)
- The secretariat of the authority is
assured by the respective
national or international statistic office.
- Tasks
- The Authority is watching over the respect of the
general interest in the medium and long term in economic and social
life. If necessary, the Authority informs the public as early as
possible of the reasons why it considers a project or an economic or
social decision incompatible with
this principle. This applies in particular to projects of large
economic decision makers and/or to measures implementing the
governmental program. The project or the decision objected to are
automatically suspended for a
certain period of deliberation (e.g. for four months)
- The suspension is lifted, if the Authority certifies
the conformity of an adjusted version with the principle of general
interest in the medium and long term
- If after the period of
deliberation
the Authority has not delivered the certificate, Parliament may adopt a new
provision with the majority of two thirds of its member.
- The Authority keeps the
citizens informed on its conclusions
and
recommendations.
- Independent
organizations of the civil
society acting in the medium and
long term general interest. They are ruled by private law and perform
their task without financial or other support by public
authorities. According to their specialization they assume the
following tasks
- They inform periodically (after a two
year interval) on the
results of their polls with the citizens concerning their opinion
on fundamental problems of economic, social and political life, i.e.
they
- conceive
the questionnaires for the inquiries with
the
citizens
- organize
the collection of the opinions
- exploit
the questionnaires and
- publish
a synthesis of the citizens' answers
- They publish
- a register
of incentives which are incompatible with the general interest
in the medium and long term
- periodically a macroeconomic analysis in the
medium and long term (ex-post and ex-ante)
- their opinion on the draft programs of
the political parties and
other significant political proposals
- proposals
for a reform which
- take into account the current
situation and the foreseeable developments
- create
incentives for a behavior which is constructive and in
conformity with the general interest in the medium and long term
- Both sides
of industry, i.e. enterprises (including their federations) and
employees (including the trade unions). They
- enjoy the privilege of being able to form
cartels on the labour market that collectively settle important
conditions of labour relations
- are committed
- to carry the responsibility for how they are using their
cartel based power when fixing collective wage settlements. In
particular, they support the costs for the labour force that is no more
demanded at the level of wages and salaries they have fixed, i.e. that
they make or keep unemployed. In other words: According to the causer
pays principle the two sides of industry are responsible for supporting
and managing the unemployment
insurance system
- to introduce into each collective
wage
settlements an unconditional clause
- allowing branches, regions and
individuals to agree diverging
settlements taking into account their specific conditions and
thereby
- limiting
the cartel based power of social partners and
- permitting
clearance on the particular labour markets
- to allow their members to consider all elements of their
labour contract (e.g. including a renunciation from firing) when
appraising and agreeing the settlement of their wages and salaries.
- renounce from consent enforcing
measures
before collective bargaining being detrimental to public live,
i.e. from strikes and lockout (more)
- Joint responsibilities
For some tasks
responsibilities are
spread among so many
participants that it is impossible for one specific actor to assume the
primary responsibility for such a task. This applies in particular to
two interdependent areas which are crucial for an efficient society
because they have to enable politicians and citizens to act according
to their responsibilities in and for society. These areas are :
- an information
system, that offers the citizen an easy access to information
enabling them to correctly assess the fundamental aspects of different
situations of life (more)
- an education
system, that enables the citizens to meet their personal and
collective responsibilities (more).
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(1) The numbering of items corresponds to
that of the Site Map (A - i) and is
used, if necessary, a second time
(A - i -A -i). |
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