The Cycle of Coalition

The first book on the interaction of parties and voters throughout the legislative period in multiparty democracies. Combining behavioral and institutional analysis of parliamentary systems, Fortunato explains how coalition governance shapes voters' perceptions of the policymaking process and how this, in turn, shapes parties' incentives.

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How does coalition governance shape voters' perceptions of government parties and how does this, in turn, influence party behaviors? Analyzing cross-national panel surveys, election results, experiments, legislative amendments, media reports, and parliamentary speeches, Fortunato finds that coalition compromise can damage parties' reputations for competence as well as their policy brands in the eyes of voters. This incentivizes cabinet partners to take stands against one another throughout the legislative process in order to protect themselves from potential electoral losses. The Cycle of Coalition has broad implications for our understanding of electoral outcomes, partisan choices in campaigns, government formation, and the policy-making process, voters' behaviors at the ballot box, and the overall effectiveness of governance.