The concept of corporation in political science is different from the meaning that is embedded in this word in economic science. A corporation is a group of individuals united on a professional basis, and not a form of financial and economic activity. Correspondingly, corporatism, or corporatism, is an organization of public life, in which interaction is formed between the state and various functional groups of people. Over the course of several eras, corporatist ideas have undergone several metamorphoses.
General concept
In modern science, corporatism is a system of representation based on corporate principles, such as the monopolization of the representation of collective interests in certain areas of life, the concentration of real power in a small group (corporation), and strict hierarchical subordination between its members.
An example is the organization that expresses the interests of farmers - the National Farming Union in the UK. It consists of up to 68% of citizens engaged in relevant activities - the cultivation of agricultural products. The main goal of this union, like corporatism in general, is to protect the interests of the professional community in front of the state.
Features
Corporateism has the following specific features:
- Participation in politics is not taken by individuals, but by organizations.
- There is an increase in the influence of professional interests (their monopolization), while the rights of other citizens may be infringed.
- Some associations are more privileged, and therefore have a greater influence on political decision-making.
History of occurrence
France is considered the birthplace of corporatist ideology. The successful development of corporatism in a particular country is due primarily to historically established traditions and forms of social life. In the Middle Ages, a corporation was understood as estate and professional associations (workshops, guilds of peasants, merchants, artisans), which defended the interests of members of their group. There was a workshop hierarchy - craftsmen, apprentices, other workers. Activities outside the corporation were impossible. The emergence of workshops was a vital necessity and was a transitional stage from the community way of life to civil society.
At the beginning of the 19th century, corporatism took on a different form. In connection with the advent of the era of industrialization, the active formation of trade unions began. During the First World War and after it, other views on corporatism arose. He was considered as guild socialism, in which the state plays a secondary role. Social corporatism was to become the basis of a new type of value unity of society.
The presence of acute social confrontation in the 20-30s. XX century Fascists took advantage. In their ideology, corporatism is not intended to divide society into classes, as was the case with the Communists, or to the party, as in liberal democracy, but to unite on a labor basis. However, after the seizure of power, the leaders of fascism turned this process in the other direction - towards the subordination of corporations to the state.
After World War II, the natural rejection of corporatism began. A new type of social organization is being formed where labor parties are involved in managing a mixed economy organized according to the Keynesian model.
Neocorporatism
According to many political scientists, at the end of XX century. corporatism has experienced another decline. The efficiency and usefulness of corporations has decreased significantly, and the system itself has transformed from a social to a liberal one.
In modern political science, neocorporatism is understood as the institution of democracy, which serves to coordinate the interests of the state, businessmen and individuals hired to carry out work. In this system, the state regulates the conditions of the negotiation process and the main priorities, based on national interests. All three components of corporatism fulfill mutual obligations and agreements.
Classical corporatism and neo-corporatism have big differences. The latter is not a social Catholic phenomenon, as it was in the Middle Ages, and is not related to any ideology. It can exist in those countries where there is no democratic structure and historical traditions of the guild society.
Neo-corporate schools
There are 3 main schools of neo-corporatism, united by a community of ideas from their representatives:
- English School. Corporatism is a system of economics that is opposed to market self-government (liberalism). The main concept is government regulation of the economy and planning. The relationship between the state and functional associations in this case is only one of the components of this system.
- Scandinavian school. In contrast to the English school, the key is to represent the interests of different groups of society for decision-making in government. Scandinavian researchers have developed several forms of organizational participation in management. Corporatism is a measure of the degree of development of both individual spheres of life and entire states.
- American school, led by political scientist F. Schmitter. His theory contrasts corporatism and pluralism. He proposed his interpretation of neo-corporatism in 1974. This is a system of representing the interests of several groups authorized or created by the state in exchange for controlling the appointment of their leaders.
The general direction of the evolution of corporatism in the XX century. it became a shift from abstract political theory, the main provision of which was general social reorganization, to neutral values and practical application in the socio-political interaction of institutions.
Kinds
The following types of corporatism are distinguished in Russian and foreign literature:
- Depending on the political regime - social (in liberal management systems) and state, gravitating towards totalitarianism.
- In the form of interaction between institutions - democratic corporatism (tripartism) and bureaucratic (the predominance of corrupt organizations).
- In terms of level - macro-, meso- and micro-corporatism (nationwide, industry and within a separate enterprise, respectively).
- According to the productivity criterion: negative (compulsory formation of groups and unilateral imposition of their interests) - totalitarian, oligarchic and bureaucratic corporatism; positive (voluntary formation of corporations, mutually beneficial interaction) - social, democratic, administrative corporatism.
Pluralistic approach
Pluralism and corporatism differ in the following features:
- representation of interests is carried out by groups that are voluntarily formed, but not hierarchical, do not have any licenses to carry out actions, and therefore are not controlled by the state in terms of determining leaders;
- interested entities make demands to the government, which allocates valuable resources under their pressure;
- the state plays a passive role in the activities of corporations.
Pluralism focuses on the government and does not allow us to consider the political process as an interaction between the state and society, since it is not an active participant in this system.
Lobbying activities
There are two extreme forms of the system of representation - this is lobbying and corporatism. By lobbyism we mean the influence of groups representing certain interests on government bodies. There are a variety of ways to influence this:
- speaking at meetings of parliament or other public authorities;
- involvement of experts in the development of regulatory documents;
- the use of "personal" contacts in government;
- application of public relations technologies;
- sending collective appeals to deputies and government representatives;
- fundraising for the political election campaign fund (fundraising);
- bribe.
According to American political scientists, the stronger the power of parties in the political arena, the less lobbying groups there are, and vice versa. In many countries, lobbying is identified only with illegal activities and is prohibited.
State corporatism
Under the state corporatism understand the regulation of public or private associations by the state, one of the functions of which is the approval of the legality of such organizations. In some countries, this term has a different meaning, consonant with corporatocracy.
In the context of an authoritarian management system, corporatism serves to limit the participation of society in the political system. The state strictly regulates the issuance of license documents to business unions, human rights organizations and other institutions to reduce their number and control their activities.