The Coalition Life-cycle in Central Eastern Europe

Autor(en)

Torbjörn Bergman, Gabriella Ilonszki, Wolfgang C. Müller

Abstrakt

This volume analyses the coalition life-cycle in ten countries in Central Eastern Europe, from pre-electoral alliances to government formation and portfolio distribution, to governing in coalitions, the events that eventually lead to a government termination, and electoral performance of coalition parties. This final chapter summarizes the main patterns of coalition politics and compares among the ten countries. In terms of the three models of coalition governance Hungary comes closest to the Dominant Prime Minister Model, Lithuania and Latvia approach the Ministerial Government Model, and Slovenia comes closest to the Coalition Compromise Model. The chapter also discusses how these findings contrast with the general patterns known from the literature on coalition politics in Western Europe. A few of the patterns of coalition politics are similar, including the relative frequency of different types of coalition governments and the increase and spread of the use of coalition governance mechanisms, such as written coalition contracts. Other features are more distinct: there have been fewer single-party governments and there is a stronger tendency to the Ministerial Government Model than in Western Europe. Over time, processes of learning and adjustment to coalition governance can be identified, however without a linear and general trend. Much of the change is rooted in party system changes, for instance the reversal of the initial growth of new political parties and the recent decline of the effective number of parties (ENP). While a less tangible result, the chapters also stress the role of personalities and animosities to impact coalition considerations.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Staatswissenschaft

Externe Organisation(en)

Umeå University, Corvinus University of Budapest

Seiten

522–576

Anzahl der Seiten

76

Publikationsdatum

01-2019

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

506012 Politische Systeme

Schlagwörter

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Social Sciences(all)

Link zum Portal

https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/de/publications/the-coalition-lifecycle-in-central-eastern-europe(6da3255f-e2f8-49f9-94ef-0d7c5a7e8d70).html