Divided Government in Comparative Perspective [Hardcover]

Divided government occurs when the executive fails to enjoy majority support in at least one working house of the legislature. To date, the study of divided government has focused almost exclusively on the United States. However, divided government occurs much more widely. It occurs in other presidential systems. Moreover, it is also the equivalent of minority government in parliamentary regimes and cohabitation in French-style semi-presidential systems. This book examines the frequency, causes and management of divided government in comparative context, identifying the similarities and differences between the various experiences of this increasingly frequent form of government. The countries studied include Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Norway, Poland, and the US.

List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Contributors
1. What is Divided Government?,Robert Elgie
2. Divided Government in the United States,Alan Ware
3. Squaring Off: Executives and Legislatures in Ecuador,Monica Barczak
4. Divided Government in Mexico's Presidentialist Regime: The 1997-2000 experience,Joseph L. Klesner
5. Divided Government in Finland: From a Semi-Presidential to a Parliamentary Democracy,Heikki Paloheimo
6. 'Cohabitation': Divided Government French-Style,Robert Elgie
7. Divided Government in Poland,Ania Krok-Paszkowska
8. Divided Governance: The Case of Denmark,John Fitzmaurice
9. Divided Government in Germany: The Case of the Bundesrat,Roland Sturm
10. Divided Government in Ireland,Paul Mitchell
11. Divided Government in Comparative Perspective,Robert Elgie
Bibliography
Index