Minority Government and Majority Rule

by Kaare Strøm

Overview

Minority governments in parliamentary democracies are conventionally considered to be unstable and ineffective aberrations from the principle of majority rule. Through analysis of over 350 postwar governments, the author shows that minority governments are neither exceptional nor unstable but in fact a common feature of parliamentary democracies and frequently perform as well as, or better than, majority coalitions. Using the Italian and Norwegian governments as case studies, he suggests that minority governments are particularly likely to form when parties anticipate competitive elections and when opposition parties are able to influence legislative decisions. As an attempt to document and explain a very common form of government in parliamentary democracies, this book will contribute significantly to the understanding of the importance of electoral competition in democratic politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521064729
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/12/2008
Series:	Studies in Rationality and Social Change
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

Table of Contents

1. The problem of minority government; 2. The rationality of minority government formation; 3. Forming minority governments; 4. Minority governments in office; 5. Italy: the politics of cooperation and defection; 6. Norway: the politics of inclusion; 7. Reassessing minority governments; Appendices; Notes; References.

Editorial Reviews

Review of the hardback: 'This is an innovative and stimulating book that greatly strengthens our understanding of how cabinet coalitions are formed - one of the most important questions in the comparative study of democratic systems.' Arend Lijphart, University of California, San Diego

From the Publisher