Overview
Overview
The Master's course "Democracy and Governance" is a consecutive study programme, which is based on a completed Bachelor's degree in Social Science. Further information about the admission can be found under "Application".
Democracy and democratic governance are the leitmotiv of political science. Yet how can democratic principles be pursued in practice in the light of growing global problems and new, much less formal governance structures? This is the central question addressed in this course, which is currently the only Masters programme in Germany to focus on the relationship between democracy and governance.
The starting point for study is an ambiguous situation. At the beginning of the 21st century, an unprecedented number of states embraced the principle of democratic legitimacy. Both the “Arab Spring” and the process of transformation in eastern European states are examples of cross-border waves of democratisation. Yet at the same time, we are also seeing processes of erosion in established democracies in Europe and North America, and the failure of attempts at sustainable democratisation in new democracies. The term “post-democratic era” has already been coined.
New protest movements, demonstrations during G8/G7 summits and the effects of globalisation, not all of which are positive, are a clear indication that new problems have emerged at the interface of (national or transnational) democracy and (national and global) cooperation between political, social and economic players. Addressing these problems on a democratic basis requires the involvement of different types of players: only then can the principle of democracy, the principle of justice and the need for effective problem-solving be pursued and fulfilled as the central components of a modern political order.
New forms of formal and informal cooperation, within and beyond the state, have been developed over recent years in efforts to enable a more effective approach to the ever more global problems in this era of globalisation. Often not only states but also transnational NGOs and companies are involved in this process. International political science has its focus on these different, non-hierarchical forms of governance as well as on the scope and the basis of their legitimacy under the paradigm of governance.
The combination of the study of governance and democracy focuses on one of the vital political challenges of our times. Without social acceptance transnational problems like climate change, poverty, terrorism or cyber-crime cannot be effectively dealt with.