05 April 2004

Differentiated responsibility, sphere sovereignty and subsidiarity

From Balkenende's speech:

Differentiated responsibility should therefore be the main aim. And that responsibility should be devolved to the lowest possible level. At the same time, the state should be doing what is expected of it.

Might the Dutch Prime Minister be glossing over the differences between the neo-Calvinist principle of sphere sovereignty and the neo-Thomist principle of subsidiarity? My understanding is that, since the late 1970s, when the CDA was being formed, the Dutch gespreide verantwoordelijkheid (differentiated responsibility) has been used to cover both concepts. This would perhaps make sense, given the ecumenical character of the CDA. Neo-Calvinists in the Anglo-Saxon world, however, tend to identify differentiated responsibility with Kuyper's sphere sovereignty only, apparently sensing the etymological similarity with Dooyeweerd's historical norm of differentiation.

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