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Prime Ministers in Central and Eastern Europe
Prime Ministers (PMs) are the most influential, powerful, and visible politicians in parliamentary democracies. Their prominent role has been increasing in Western democracies due to the 'presidentialization of politics'. But is this also true for new democracies, such as those in post-communist Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)? As politics in CEE has been characterized by high personalization, weak voter-party linkages, and strong media influence of political leaders, prime-ministerial performance may be even more important for the functioning of parliamentary democracy in those countries. At the same time, conventional wisdom suggests that prime ministers in CEE perform weakly because they...
Tension, Dilemma and Conflict in Party-Candidate Campaign Strategies
This book examines the campaign communication of political candidates in parliamentary democracies, set within the broader trends of globalization and political personalization. It explores how district candidates balance local voter preferences, national party demands, and personal beliefs in their campaigns. Using Germany as a case study and drawing on a wide range of data sources, the book reveals how situational factors, such as electoral rules, candidate experience, and local party organization, influence campaign strategies. It demonstrates how campaign positions in parliamentary democracies often deviate from national party stances, with implications on party unity and democratic representation. Framed by the pressing challenges of regional divergence and the rise of political personalization, the book shows why studying individual candidate behavior – rather than simply focusing on party leaders – is crucial for understanding modern democratic systems. This book will be a key resource for scholars, students, and practitioners in the fields of political parties and elites, electoral studies, political communication, and, more broadly, comparative politics.
The Political System of Germany
The textbook introduces the self-understanding, institutional structure and practice of the political system of the Federal Republic of Germany. The work provides a problem-oriented overview of the basic constitutional and foreign policy decisions that have constituted German democracy; the political field of forces formed by interest groups, citizens' initiatives, parties and mass media; the political institutions at the federal, state and local levels; the social reach and administrative enforcement of political decisions; the political culture including the structure of the political ruling class. The new edition also addresses, among other things, the consequences of the Corona crisis for the political system, the changing party system and the crisis of the EU after the 2021 federal election.
The Oxford Handbook of Political Representation in Liberal Democracies
The Handbook of Political Representation in Liberal Democracies offers a state-of-the-art assessment of the functioning of political representation in liberal democracies. In 34 chapters the world's leading scholars on the various aspects of political representation address eight broad themes: The concept and theories of political representation, its history and the main requisites for its development; elite orientations and behavior; descriptive representation; party government and representation; non-electoral forms of political participation and how they relate to political representation; the challenges to representative democracy originating from the growing importance of non-majoritari...
Parliaments and Legislative Activity
Martin Brunner aims at solving the puzzle of why opposition parties or government backbenchers propose legislation even though the chance to influence policy outcomes in this manner is almost nil. He argues that instead of influencing policies directly most parliamentary bills serve different purposes: They are used in order to signal own policy positions and to show alternatives to government policies. Or they point at topics that rank high on the public agenda but low on the government agenda. They can also be a means for individual Members of Parliament to build up an independent personal profile. Using formal models and comparative empirical evidence from Belgium, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom the author shows that parliamentary initiatives of opposition and backbenchers are not simply “much ado about nothing”, but the result of vote-seeking motivations.
Pre-electoral Alliances, Coalition Rejections, and Multiparty Governments
Governing in coalitions is a central research field in comparative political science. This book explores how pre-electoral alliances and rejections of potential coalitions influence party competition and coalition politics in Austria, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The study shows that in contrast to the classical perspective, coalition politics is determined not only by ideological diversity, but also by institutional and behavioralist factors. Beside a descriptive analysis of the policy-area specific positions of each party and an evaluation of the determinants of coalition formation, the payoff structure in coalition governments is under consideration. The analysis reveals that "key parties" receive a surpassing share of both office and policy payoffs.
Representative Government in Modern Europe
Uniting theory and application, the third edition of Representative Government in Modern Europe continues the tradition of previous editions by first examining the themes, debates, developments and structures driving European politics, and then investigating the way in which the theories behind them are manifested, comparing the historical development, distinct interpretations and present condition of several major European governments. A thematically arranged text which introduces readers to current debates among those who analyze European politics, the 3rd edition of Representation Government in Modern Europe delves into the evolution of European politics as we embark on the 21st century. Since the last edition, astonishing changes have occurred on the political scene in Europe. Democratic transformations have taken place throughout the East, along with the emergence of a strong European Union. These two topics, as well as the state of economics in the region, have dominated the previous decade in Europe and are discussed throughout the 3rd edition.
