“Election benchmarks” as an instrument to exert political influence for the benefit of archaeology — an opinion piece / „Wahlprüfsteine” als Instrument politischer Einflussnahme für die Archäologie – ein Meinungsbeitrag

Abstract

This article introduces a political ritual known as the “compilation of election benchmarks”, which are used by NGOs and stakeholders in the run-up to an election to sound out the positions and plans of the political parties standing for election. The parties’ responses to a set of questions from the NGO are collated and communicated to the voters before the election so that they can be included in their decision-making on whom to vote for. The self-commitment(s) of the future governing party/parties thus obtained can later be used to urge the government to stick to its election promises. Apart from the desired direct benefit of the process, indirect effects are also achieved, including those that have an impact on archaeology and its self-organization.