The Nature of Party Government A Comparative European Perspective

The Nature of Party Government examines relationships between governments and supporting parties on a comparative European basis. The book does so at the level of principles: there is a major conflict between governments, which should govern and parties, which being representative, wish to shape the way governments operate. The book studies relationships empirically as well: it shows that they occur on three plans, appointments, policy-making and patronage and assesses the extent of two-way influences, from parties to governments and from governments to parties.

Jean Blondel is Professor of Political Science, European University Institute, Florence and the University of Siena, Italy.

Maurizio Cotta is Professor of Political Science at University of Siena, Italy.