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THE EFFECT OF THE OPPOSITION PARTIES ON THE LEGISLATIVE OUTPUT IN A MULTI‐PARTY SYSTEM. THE BELGIAN CASE FROM 1965 TO 1971
Author(s) -
DEWACHTER WILFRIED,
LISMONT EDITH,
TEGENBOS GUY
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
european journal of political research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.267
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1475-6765
pISSN - 0304-4130
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6765.1977.tb01290.x
Subject(s) - opposition (politics) , legislature , optimal distinctiveness theory , politics , political science , political economy , law , public administration , law and economics , sociology , social psychology , psychology
A content analysis of the 1965 platforms of all Belgian political parties provides a determination of the policy objectives for the next legislature so that a survey can be made of the completely, partially, and nonrealized objectives at the end of a two‐legislature (1965–1968 and 1968–1971) period according to government and opposition parties, according to party strength – which was in this period congruent with the duration of participation in the government – and according to the distinction made between the parties qualifying for government and the non‐elitist opposition parties. The degree of realization is established for the total number of platform planks, for the number of specific items per party, and according to the degree of importance and social repercussion of the distinct planks that could be realized. Although respectively in office for six, four, and two years, the CVP/PSC, the BSP–PSB and the PVV/PLP realized approximately the same number of planks. The nonelitist opposition party Volksunie realized a smaller but still considerable number of objectives. So did, but to a lesser extent, the other structural or antisystem opposition parties, RW, FDF and KPB–PCB. The interpretation of these results may lie in the loss of distinctiveness in the government–opposition model in a multi‐party system, the elitist consensus in Belgium which is shared by the three main parties, the function of the pressure party strategy and the conducting of opposition in dynamic terms of action.