Multiparty Government: The Politics of Coalition in Europe (Ann Arbor Paperbacks) - Softcover

Michael Laver, Norman Schofield; Schofield, Norman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 047208562X ISBN 13: 9780472085620

Publisher: University of Michigan Press, 1998

Synopsis

The politics of coalition -- the very heart of the political process in most European countries -- can be analyzed either theoretically or empirically. Multiparty Government aims to reconcile these approaches by placing the insights of contemporary theory within the real world context of coalition politics. Michael Laver and Norman Schofield do this by examining five basic themes: the identity and motivation of the actors in the coalition game; the eventual membership of the coalitions they form; their durability; the payoffs that are shared out by coalition members; and the impact of constitutional bargaining, behavioral, and historical constraints on the process of coalition bargaining. They illustrate their discussion of theory with a range of detailed case studies. Multiparty Government offers an accessible approach that bridges the gap between the "European politics" and "game theory" traditions of political science, and puts the systematic study of the politics of coalition on the broader political science map. "Laver and Schofield's book is at the same time accessible, pithy, down-to-earth, insightful, and yes, even captivating. In its scope and quality, it has no rival in the literature of party coalitions . . . all students of political parties or legislative behavior should allow themselves the privilege of being educated and entertained by Laver and Schofield's fine book." --American Political Science Review

About this title

About the Author

Michael Laver is Professor, Wilf Family Deparment of Politics, New York University. Norman Schofield is William Taussig Professor of Political Economy and Directory of the Center in Political Economy at Washington University in St. Louis.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Michigan Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 047208562X
• ISBN 13: 9780472085620
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 328