Nature of Party-Government: A Comparative European Perspective

Author: Jean Blondel (France), Maurizio Cotta (Italy)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Based on detailed research, this book provides an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of the relationship between government and political parties in eight European countries—Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, and Finland. It examines the political party-government relationships at three levels: appointments to office, policy-making, and political patronage. This is the new and important work in the study of Western party-government relations today. Based on solid data, the book conducts a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the relationship between government and supportive parties in eight Western European countries, including Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and others. Except for the introduction, the book is divided into two parts. In the first part, the authors analyze the concept of "party government" and propose the theoretical framework of the entire book. In the second part, based on the empirical analysis of these eight Western European countries, the authors examine the party-government relationships at the three levels of appointments to office, policy-making, and political patronage. It is the new and important work in the study of Western party-government relations today.