2 
Chancellor and attended by the ministers concerned, but only 
the four bodies, the "social partners" (or "economic partners, 
according to another diction) have a casting vote. This 
institution is not based on any law but depends entirely on 
informal voluntary co-operation. Its meets monthly. It has 
sub-committees for prices and for wages respectively. Another 
suborganisation is the Advisory Council for Social and Economic 
Problems, which consists of experts nominated by the "social 
partners". The social partners are further represented on a 
multitude of committees (e.g. for allocation of credits etc) 
which determine the details of economic policy. All economic 
laws before they go to parliament are submitted to the Chambers 
and the Trade Union Federation, and the decisive bargaining 
takes place there. 
Economic policy is then carried out to a large extent outside 
the ministries and of parliament. That this dual government 
nevertheless works is due to, among other reasons, the fact 
that the responsible representatives of the social partners 
are as a rule also represented in parliament as deputies 
of one or the other of the two big parties. 
Prices 
About 20 to 25 p.c. of consumer's spending is related to price 
A. controlled goods (basic foods, energy). The Committee deals 
n with about 200 standard articles and about 150 to 350 applications