Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands

• DOI: 10.17645/pag.v1i2.94
• Publication Date: 2015-02-18T16:16:49Z
• Authors: Catherine Moury; Arco Timmermans
• Keywords: Coalition government; Multi-party system; Policy Making

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 characteristics including deals controversy inter-party occurring during lifetime governments Germany, Belgium, Italy Netherlands. analyze ways which parties government were or not constrained by written disputed issues. Coalition from all four countries include specific deals, one third are precisely defined. These concern both consensual controversial Our central finding is that, case intra-party conflict, almost always fall back initial when exist. As such, statements agreement facilitate decision making each studied.