Rolf Rauschenbach

Study on the use of blockchain technology in cantonal administration. Study in German

SARS-COV-2 as historical opportunity for E-Government and Switzerland. Article in German

Who is tasked with digitizing politics? Article in German

Who is tasked with digitizing the public sector? Article in German

How does blockchain technology change marketing? Article in German.

Put the ship on course.

Developing a strategy is a demanding and resource-intensive process for municipalities. But how can implementation be ensured and success measured? And how is long-term strategic management implemented? The example of the municipality of Risch ZG shows that this requires both a systematic methodology and a flexible approach. Article in German.

The legislation of processes of direct democracy in South America and Switzerland: A panorama and observations on the Brazilian case

In: Nuno Coimbra Mesquita (Ed.), Brasil: 25 anos de democracia: Participação, sociedade civil e cultura política, Rio de Janeiro: Fundação Konrad Adenauer, 2016, pp. 171- 216

Problem: Regularly caveats against the fundamental processes of direct democracy such as plebiscite and referendum are brought forward. In Brazil, there is a series of public consultations on the agenda, but it is not clear how to fully take advantage of these mechanisms. Method: Review of literature and case study of the plebiscites on the creation of new states of Carajás and Tapajós. Result: Processes of direct democracy make policy decisions more legitimate and at the same time more… Mehr anzeigen

Problem: Regularly caveats against the fundamental processes of direct democracy such as plebiscite and referendum are brought forward. In Brazil, there is a series of public consultations on the agenda, but it is not clear how to fully take advantage of these mechanisms. Method: Review of literature and case study of the plebiscites on the creation of new states of Carajás and Tapajós. Result: Processes of direct democracy make policy decisions more legitimate and at the same time more complex. The benefits of these institutions depend both on citizens as well as of representative authorities. In the case of the plebiscites in Pará, it was not possible to fully profit from the positive effects of popular consultations due to the limitations of the Brazilian legislation and the lack of engagement of the representative authorities. Article in Portuguese.

In: Lídia de Oliveira Xavier e Carlos F. Domínguez Avila (Eds.), A Qualidade da Democracia no Brasil: Questões teóricas e metodológicas da pesquisa, Curitiba: Editora CRV, 2016, pp. 243-271 Weniger anzeigen

There is an ongoing debate on whether processes of direct democracy, such as the popular initiative, plebiscite and referendum are helpful in the political decision making process. On the one hand, there are authors arguing that these institutions slow the political game down, turn it more expensive, confusing and illegitimate; others defend the contrary position, arguing these mechanisms are fundamental to the citizen and the quality of democracy. The present study examines the following seven… Mehr anzeigen

There is an ongoing debate on whether processes of direct democracy, such as the popular initiative, plebiscite and referendum are helpful in the political decision making process. On the one hand, there are authors arguing that these institutions slow the political game down, turn it more expensive, confusing and illegitimate; others defend the contrary position, arguing these mechanisms are fundamental to the citizen and the quality of democracy. The present study examines the following seven issues of this matter, based on theoretical consideration and empirical research: 1. Democratic minimalism and maximalism; 2. Competition between majority and minority; 3. Competition between representative institutions and processes of direct democracy. 4. Competence of citizens; 5. Side effects of processes of direct democracy; 6. Size of electorate; 7. Costs of processes of direct democracy. The analysis is based on a review of Brazilian and international literature. The study shows that processes of direct democracy can be complementary to institutions of representative democracy. The well functioning of popular initiatives, plebiscites and referendums does not only depend on their regulation, but also on the performance of the other political institutions as well as the socio-economical situation of a country. The study allows to deepen the debate on processes of direct democracy in Brazil.

(Article in Portuguese) Weniger anzeigen

Issue: The current dynamics of globalization raise the question of how political communities and humanity as the global polity as such will and shall be structured. Both extreme positions – idealistic or hegemonistic universalism and cosmopolitanism – as well as particularist pluralism fail to convince in view of the challenges globalization is posing. New, non-exclusionary and democratic visions of political communities in the context of globalization need to be formulated to answer the… Mehr anzeigen

Issue: The current dynamics of globalization raise the question of how political communities and humanity as the global polity as such will and shall be structured. Both extreme positions – idealistic or hegemonistic universalism and cosmopolitanism – as well as particularist pluralism fail to convince in view of the challenges globalization is posing. New, non-exclusionary and democratic visions of political communities in the context of globalization need to be formulated to answer the following questions: What are the structures of micro and macro polities in a glocalized order? What should be the guiding principles for the governance of these polities/political communities? Method: The questions raised in this paper are addressed by critically discussing the writing of Peter Sloterdijk. In his spherology, Sloterdijk has presented a new theory on the emergence of communities, which he analyzes from a spherological point of view. In “Du musst Dein Leben ändern”, he formulates a ethical theory, which can be used as inspirational ground for a normative theory of governance for the glocalized order. Result: This study provides a new understanding of the concept of community. Instead of the traditional dichotomy between community and society, communities – or, social spheres – are presented as complex and thick phenomena, which can be analyzed on nine dimensions (chirotope, phonotope, uterotope, thermotope, erotope, ergotope, alethotope, thanatotope, nomotope). Furthermore, the concept of social spheres is scalable – form the microsphere of a small group of persons to plural spheres, which nowadays cover the planet earth in the form of mountains of foams. Based on this spatial view, a normative theory of governance emerges, inspired by the principles of immunology.

(Article in Portuguese)

In: Redescrições – Revista online do GT de Pragmatismo, ano V, nº 3, 2014, p. 91 a 111. Weniger anzeigen

When studying representation and participation, research tends to limit itself on who and how decides and how these decisions are justified. However, such a perspective tends to ignore that the relationship between citizen and state is equally forged on the dimension of inclusion, contribution and orientation. It is therefore proposed in this study to contextualize the mechanisms of representation and participation in a more complex institutional framework. In addition to that, it is proposed… Mehr anzeigen

When studying representation and participation, research tends to limit itself on who and how decides and how these decisions are justified. However, such a perspective tends to ignore that the relationship between citizen and state is equally forged on the dimension of inclusion, contribution and orientation. It is therefore proposed in this study to contextualize the mechanisms of representation and participation in a more complex institutional framework. In addition to that, it is proposed to include considerations on the political culture, as the formal rules of institutions often do not allow to fully explain neither the behavior of the political actors nor the performance of the institutions themselves.

(Article in Portuguese)

Number 5, pp. 15-35. Weniger anzeigen

In this article, it is proposed to differentiate political cultures in two dimensions. First, inspired by Habermas’ distinction of the contents of discourse, a distinction is suggested between moral, ethical-political and pragmatic elements of political culture as well as of an element of culture of balancing interests. Second, inspired by Kohlberg’s stage models for the development of the individual moral consciousness and for moral culture, a distinction is similarly suggested between two… Mehr anzeigen

In this article, it is proposed to differentiate political cultures in two dimensions. First, inspired by Habermas’ distinction of the contents of discourse, a distinction is suggested between moral, ethical-political and pragmatic elements of political culture as well as of an element of culture of balancing interests. Second, inspired by Kohlberg’s stage models for the development of the individual moral consciousness and for moral culture, a distinction is similarly suggested between two pre-conventional, two conventional and two post-conventional collective stages of political culture. It can be shown that from a normative point of view, only deliberations made in a post-conventional political culture can produce reasonable or at least fair results. Conceptual considerations indicate processes of direct democracy as the method for promoting post-conventional political cultures. The more liberty that the citizens have to formulate and trigger processes of direct democracy, the more one can expect from them to generate post-conventional political cultures. (18, 4, pp. 477-497) Weniger anzeigen

Problem addressed: Brazil is well known for its participatory budget. However, little information is available to the international academic community when it comes to the Brazilian practice of processes of direct democracy. Result of this study: This paper provides a full account of the Brazilian processes of direct democracy on the federal level, including their historical and legal context. It draws a preliminary conclusion and formulates a research outlook. Method applied: Desk-research.

In a fictitious dialogue, composed of original quotes, Jürgen Habermas, Lawrence Kohlberg, Philippe Mastronardi and Peter Sloterdijk discuss the concepts of religion, ethics and universalization. It becomes evident, that their positions differ more in terminology than in essence. All four strive for normative answers in view of a universalizing world and find themselves in the post-conventional realm.

(Article in German)

In: Rainer Schweizer & Florian Windisch (Hrsg.), Im Diskurs… Mehr anzeigen

In a fictitious dialogue, composed of original quotes, Jürgen Habermas, Lawrence Kohlberg, Philippe Mastronardi and Peter Sloterdijk discuss the concepts of religion, ethics and universalization. It becomes evident, that their positions differ more in terminology than in essence. All four strive for normative answers in view of a universalizing world and find themselves in the post-conventional realm.

(Article in German)

In: Rainer Schweizer & Florian Windisch (Hrsg.), Im Diskurs mit Philippe Mastronardi, pp. 145-160. Weniger anzeigen

In my doctoral thesis, i propose to differentiate political cultures in two dimensions. First, inspired by Habermas’ distinction of the contents of discourse, a distinction is suggested between moral, ethical-political and pragmatic elements of political culture as well as of an element of culture of balancing interests. Second, inspired by Kohlberg’s stage models for the development of the individual moral consciousness and for moral culture, a distinction is similarly suggested between two… Mehr anzeigen

In my doctoral thesis, i propose to differentiate political cultures in two dimensions. First, inspired by Habermas’ distinction of the contents of discourse, a distinction is suggested between moral, ethical-political and pragmatic elements of political culture as well as of an element of culture of balancing interests. Second, inspired by Kohlberg’s stage models for the development of the individual moral consciousness and for moral culture, a distinction is similarly suggested between two pre-conventional, two conventional and two post-conventional collective stages of political culture. It can be shown that from a normative point of view, only deliberations made in a post-conventional political culture can produce reasonable or at least fair results. Conceptual considerations indicate processes of direct democracy as the method for promoting post-conventional political cultures. The more liberty that the citizens have to formulate and trigger processes of direct democracy, the more one can expect from them to generate post-conventional political cultures.

(Thesis in German) Weniger anzeigen