Pillars and politics: Neo‐corporatism and policy networks in Belgium

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Abstract
The Belgian political system is usually described as pillarised. Careful examination demonstrates however that it also seems to show all the characteristics of neo‐corporatism, even more so than countries which have traditionally been seen as having strong neo‐corporatist structures. This article first attempts to explain how Belgian pillarisation provides all the prerequisites for successful neo‐corporatism in policy sectors where neo‐corporatism usually cannot occur. In the remainder of the article, however, it is argued that neo‐corporatism cannot offer an overall explanation of the Belgian political process. Instead an approach is considered which identifies various forms of policy networks. It is argued that the Belgian pillars have created political stability by containing conflict in policy networks rather than by solving problems. As a result, certain problems have been allowed to fester for decades, while their restriction to a policy network has prevented them from endangering coalition governments or the political peace at large. Proof of this is found in the fact that the only major political problem endangering governments is the ethno‐linguistic cleavage in Belgian society, which has never been pillarised and which never found appeasement in formal or informal networks or policy communities.