Coalition Government and Party Mandate: How Coalition Agreements Constrain Ministerial Action

Which kind of decisions are passed by Cabinet in coalition governments? What motivates ministerial action? How much leeway do coalition parties give their governmental representatives?Coalition Government and Party Mandate focuses on a comparative study of ministerial behavior in Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. It discredits the well-known assumption that ministers are 'policy dictators' in their spheres of competence, and demonstrates that ministers are consistently and extensively constrained when deciding on policies.Looking at policy formation through coalition agreeements and the effectiveness of such agreements, the book will be of interest to scholars of governance and European politics.