theories of government formation

Question 1

what is the word to describe the largest party in the legislature?

Answer 1

Centripetal

Question 2

what are the possible outcomes after a hung legislature? (3)

Answer 2

minority government, a fresh election or a multiparty coalition

Question 3

who is the Formateur?

Answer 3

the leader of one of the parties who could become the prime minister

Question 4

Who is the Informateur?

Answer 4

someone who brings the parties together to discuss the possibility of a coalition

Question 5

what are the 2 traditional theories relating to predicting who will coalesce?

Answer 5

office based and policy based

Question 6

what are the 2 areas within office based theory?

Answer 6

minimal winning and oversized

Question 7

what is minimal winning?

Answer 7

where the minimal number of parties needed to form a coalition is used

Question 8

what is the main principle relating to the minimal winning theory?

Answer 8

the size principle

Question 9

what is the size principle?

Answer 9

A smallest amount of parties needed to coaline will mean less compromise, and more spoils of office in terms of cabinet positions

Question 10

what is oversized?

Answer 10

the party which is the majority plus one other party thus giving them the majority

Question 11

what is the assumption made by the ideological approach?

Answer 11

that the parties main focus is on implementation of policy

Question 12

according to the ideological approach which parties are likely to form a coalition?

Answer 12

those which are closest in terms of ideology.

Question 13

who proposed the combination theory?

Answer 13

Axelrod (1970)

Question 14

what is the combination theory?

Answer 14

where people should take into account both policy and office considerations when predicting who will join

Question 15

when the ideological approach is adopted, which type of government is likely to form?

Answer 15

minority government

Question 16

What is Laver and Shepsle’s portfolio allocation model?

Answer 16

where different parties value different areas of their policy therefore take ownership of that area - such as the Greens and the environment

Question 17

what are pre-formation institutional constraints on coalition formation? (3)

Answer 17

those incumbent have advantage in bargaining powers, anti-pacts or pacts, vote of investiture

Question 18

what is the advantage of the incumbent?

Answer 18

the fourmateur can shape the outcome, they can use cabinet reshuffles and early elections to give themselves the advantage - Baron 1993

Question 19

what is the criticism to the spatial model of formation (that the incumbent has the advantage)?

Answer 19

party could be unpopular therefore preserving the status quo would not be desirable

Question 20

at what point does the incumbent have the advantage?

Answer 20

the reversion point

Question 21

example of an anti-pact?

Answer 21

Germany - 1978 - SPD and CDU

Question 22

does an anti-pact affect the results of the coalition formation?

Answer 22

they are usually hounered

Question 23

a vote of investiture normally…

Answer 23

favors the majority

Question 24

what is the effects of post formation institutional features on a coalition?

Answer 24

if a coalition is unworkable due to the institutional set up post it will not be formed in the first place

Question 25

what was the finding from L. Martin?

Answer 25

you cannot ignore either policy making or office making however if they were to be considered exclusively then this would lead to a limited prediction