ABSTRACT
Through examination of parliamentary governments in twelve countries, this book demonstrates the ways in which study of the parties in governing coalitions, and their parliamentary opposition, provides insight into numerous aspects of countries’ cultural values, societal schisms, and the issues of greatest contention among their people.
Each chapter analyses the political parties in a different country’s parliament and illustrates how they represent the country’s competing interests, social divisions, and public policy debates. Coalition and opposition parties are also shown to reflect each country’s: political institutions; political actors; political culture; and societal, geographic, and ideological rifts. In many of the countries, changes in the constellation of parties in government are emblematic of important political, social, and economic changes.
This book will be essential reading for students of parliamentary government, political parties, electoral politics, and, more broadly, comparative politics.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|61 pages
Typical coalition governments, with weakening pillar parties
chapter 4|22 pages
Government coalitions as a reflection of national politics
part II|38 pages
Coalition governments with uncoalitionable minority parties
chapter 5|19 pages
Israel’s coalition government
chapter 6|17 pages
Short-lived coalitions in Latvia
part III|61 pages
Minority governments and negative parliamentarism
part IV|57 pages
Third-wave countries, economic crisis, and political changes
part V|20 pages
Anti-establishment party leads government
part |20 pages
Conclusion