Kevin R. den Dulk

An Institutionalist Perspective on Religion and Politics

Rules matter. It appears a simple claim, but we often neglect its myriad implications for politics. In fact, our democratic impulses often push against a full recognition of the idea that rules shape our political decisions. After all, if democracy is “rule by the people,” we might expect that the people’s will ought to be translated into public policy through a process that does not alter their preferences. Yet we also know that elite and mass preferences do not and cannot directly translate into political outcomes, even when those preferences are rooted in convictions that are intensely experienced and widely held. The process of making a decision, which is necessarily defined by formal and informal rules, mediates between the citizen’s will and policy results.