ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the relevance of the formal powers of Austrian governmental institutions. It examines the formal role which the constitution prescribes for them, as well as their actual role in the political process, and the changes which have occurred during the Second Republic, namely since 1945. The traditional picture is the way the institutions are described in the 1950s, 1960s, and also in the early 1970s. A good deal of this literature is from American, British and German scholars, since at that time political science did not exist in Austria. In the 1950s the academic focus was dominated by a concern with political parties. They were seen as the key players in Austrian politics. According to the literature, their interaction was only marginally influenced by the configuration of political institutions and institutional rules. This reflects the permanent grand coalition government, one of the main features which made Austria an interesting case for the international academic community.
