Coalition Governance in Central Eastern Europe

Description

Coalition government among different political parties is the way most European democracies are governed. Traditionally, the study of coalition politics has been focused on Western Europe. Coalition governance in Central Eastern Europe brings the study of the full coalition life-cycle to a region that has undergone tremendous political transformation, but which has not been studied from this perspective. The volume covers Bulgaria, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. It provides information and analyses of the coalition life-cycle, from pre-electoral alliances to coalition formation and portfolio distribution, governing in coalitions, the stages that eventually lead to government termination, and the electoral performance of coalition parties. In Central Eastern Europe, few single-party cabinets form and there have been only a few early elections. The evidence provided shows that coalition partners in the region write formal agreements (coalition agreements) to an extent that is similar to the patterns that we find in Western Europe, but also that they adhere less closely to these contracts. While the research on Western Europe tends to stress that coalition partners emphasize coalition compromise and mutual supervision, there is more evidence of 'ministerial government' by individual ministers and their parties. There are also some systems where coalition governance is heavily dominated by the prime minister. No previous study has covered the full coalition life-cycle in all of the ten countries with as much detail. Systematic information is presented in 10 figures and in more than one hundred tables. Comparative Politics is a series for researchers, teachers, and students of political science that deals with contemporary government and politics. Global in scope, books in the series are characterised by a stress on comparative analysis and strong methodological rigour. The series is published in association with the European Consortium for Political Research. For more information visit: www.ecprnet.eu. The series is edited by Emilie van Haute, Professor of Political Science, Université libre de Bruxelles; Ferdinand Müller-Rommel, Director of the Center for the Study of Democracy, Leuphana University; and Susan Scarrow, John and Rebecca Moores Professor of Political Science, University of Houston. Coalition Governance in Central Eastern Europe Preface and Acknowledgement Contents List of Figures List of Tables List of Contributors 1 Extending the Coalition Life-cycle Approach to Central Eastern Europe—An Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.2 The Coalition Cycle 1.3 The Problem of Coalition Governance 1.4 How to Avoid or Cope with the Problems of Coalition? 1.5 The Coalition Cycle in Central Eastern Europe 1.6 Data Collection, Organization of the Book, and a First Preview References 2 The Economic and Political Context of Coalition Politics in Central Eastern Europe 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Economic Transition 2.3 Political Institutions 2.4 Party System Characteristics 2.5 Characteristics of the Electorate 2.6 Conclusion References 3 Bulgaria 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Institutional Background 3.3 Coalition Formation 3.4 Coalition Governance 3.5 Portfolio Allocation 3.6 Coalition Termination 3.7 Electoral Performance 3.8 Conclusion References 4 Czech Republic 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Institutional Background 4.3 Coalition Formation 4.4 Coalition Governance 4.5 Portfolio Allocation 4.6 Coalition Termination 4.7 Electoral Performance 4.8 Conclusion References 5 Estonia 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Institutional Background 5.3 Coalition Formation 5.4 Coalition Governance 5.5 Coalition Termination 5.6 Electoral Performance 5.7 Conclusion References 6 Hungary 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Institutional Background 6.3 Coalition Formation 6.4 Coalition Governance 6.5 Portfolio Allocation 6.6 Coalition Termination 6.7 Electoral Performance 6.8 Conclusion References 7 Latvia 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Institutional Background 7.3 Coalition Formation 7.3.2 Governments Formed 7.4 Coalition Governance 7.5 Portfolio Allocation 7.6 Coalition Termination 7.7 Electoral Performance 7.8 Conclusion References 8 Lithuania 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Institutional Background 8.3 Coalition Formation 8.4 Coalition Governance 8.5 Portfolio Allocation 8.6 Coalition Termination 8.7 Electoral Performance 8.8 Conclusion References 9 Poland 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Institutional Background 9.3 Coalition Formation 9.4 Coalition Governance 9.5 Portfolio Allocation 9.6 Cabinet Termination 9.7 Electoral Performance 9.8 Conclusion References 10 Romania 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Institutional Background 10.3 Coalition Formation 10.4 Coalition Governance 10.5 Portfolio Allocation 10.6 Coalition Termination 10.7 Electoral Performance 10.8 Conclusion References 11 Slovakia 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Institutional Background 11.3 Government Formation 11.4 Coalition Governance 11.5 Portfolio Allocation 11.6 Coalition Termination 11.7 Electoral Performance 11.8 Conclusion References 12 Slovenia 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Institutional Background 12.3 Coalition Formation 12.4 Coalition Governance 12.5 Cabinet Termination 12.6 Electoral Performance 12.7 Conclusion References 13 The Coalition Life-cycle in Central Eastern Europe 13.1 The Party Systems 13.2 Institutional Rules and Conventions 13.3 Coalition Bargaining and Formation 13.4 Coalition Governance 13.5 Cabinet Termination and Duration 13.6 Electoral Performance 13.7 Conclusion References Appendix: The Variables Index