Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands
In this article, we focus on manifest interparty conflict over policy issues and the role of coalition agreements in solving these conflicts. We present empirical findings on the characteristics of coalition agreements including deals over policy controversy and on inter-party conflict occurring dur...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cogitatio
2013-07-01
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| Series: | Politics and Governance |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/94 |
| _version_ | 1818491883363500032 |
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| author | Catherine Moury Arco Timmermans |
| author_facet | Catherine Moury Arco Timmermans |
| author_sort | Catherine Moury |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article, we focus on manifest interparty conflict over policy issues and the role of coalition agreements in solving these conflicts. We present empirical findings on the characteristics of coalition agreements including deals over policy controversy and on inter-party conflict occurring during the lifetime of governments in Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. We analyze the ways in which parties in government were or were not constrained by written deals over disputed issues. Coalition agreements from all four countries include specific policy deals, one third of which are precisely defined. These policy deals concern both consensual and controversial issues. Our central finding is that, in the case of intra-party conflict, parties almost always fall back on the initial policy deals when these exist. As such, policy statements of the coalition agreement facilitate decision making in each of the countries studied. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:36:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-62ca58c7690849a08cbbf54b41bdfe04 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-2463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:36:30Z |
| publishDate | 2013-07-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Politics and Governance |
| spelling | doaj.art-62ca58c7690849a08cbbf54b41bdfe042022-12-22T01:39:31ZengCogitatioPolitics and Governance2183-24632013-07-011211713110.17645/pag.v1i2.9430Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the NetherlandsCatherine Moury0Arco Timmermans1Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, New University of Lisbon, Avenida de Berna, 26-C, 1069 Lisbon, PortugalInstitute of Public Administration, University of Leiden, Campus The Hague, 2511 VA The Hague, The Netherlands Montesquieu Institute, 2514 EJ The Hague, The NetherlandsIn this article, we focus on manifest interparty conflict over policy issues and the role of coalition agreements in solving these conflicts. We present empirical findings on the characteristics of coalition agreements including deals over policy controversy and on inter-party conflict occurring during the lifetime of governments in Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. We analyze the ways in which parties in government were or were not constrained by written deals over disputed issues. Coalition agreements from all four countries include specific policy deals, one third of which are precisely defined. These policy deals concern both consensual and controversial issues. Our central finding is that, in the case of intra-party conflict, parties almost always fall back on the initial policy deals when these exist. As such, policy statements of the coalition agreement facilitate decision making in each of the countries studied.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/94coalition governmentspost-electoral coalition agreementspre-electoral coalition agreementsBelgiumGermanyItalyNetherlands |
| spellingShingle | Catherine Moury Arco Timmermans Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands Politics and Governance coalition governments post-electoral coalition agreements pre-electoral coalition agreements Belgium Germany Italy Netherlands |
| title | Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands |
| title_full | Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands |
| title_fullStr | Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands |
| title_short | Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands |
| title_sort | inter party conflict management in coalition governments analyzing the role of coalition agreements in belgium germany italy and the netherlands |
| topic | coalition governments post-electoral coalition agreements pre-electoral coalition agreements Belgium Germany Italy Netherlands |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/94 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT catherinemoury interpartyconflictmanagementincoalitiongovernmentsanalyzingtheroleofcoalitionagreementsinbelgiumgermanyitalyandthenetherlands AT arcotimmermans interpartyconflictmanagementincoalitiongovernmentsanalyzingtheroleofcoalitionagreementsinbelgiumgermanyitalyandthenetherlands |