In the past three decades, radical right parties had the opportunity to directly influence political developments from the highest public office in many post-communist Central and Eastern European countries. Oliver Kossack provides the first comprehensive study on government formation with radical right parties in this region. Even after the turn of the millennium, some distinct features of the post-communist context persist, such as coalitions between radical right and centre-left parties. In addition to original empirical insights, the time-sensitive approach of this study also advances the discussion about concepts and methodological approaches within the discipline.
Author(s): Oliver Kossack
Series: Political Science | 153
Edition: 1
Publisher: Transcript Verlag
Year: 2023
Language: English
Commentary: TruePDF
Pages: 393
Tags: Politics; Europe; International Relations; Political Ideologies; Political Parties; Political System; Political Science
Cover
Half title
About Author
Title
Copyright
Contents
List of tables
List of figures
List of parties and electoral alliances
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
1.1 Research interest and research question
1.2 Research overview and argumentation
Theoretical framework
The radical right and party competition in Central and Eastern Europe
Basic argument
1.3 Research design
1.4 Contributions and limitations
Contributions
Limitations
1.5 Outline of the study
2. Radical right parties in the post‐Communist party systems of Central and Eastern Europe
2.1 The Central and Eastern European radical right
2.2 Central and Eastern European party systems: Thecontextofcoalition politics
2.2.1 The structural stabilisation of party systems in Central and Eastern Europe
2.2.2 Political divides in Central and Eastern European party systems
2.2.3 Party competition with radical right parties in Central and Eastern Europe
2.3 Different but similar: Parties and party systems in Central andEastern Europe compared to the West
3. Theories of government formation
3.1 The rational choice approach in research on government formation
3.2 Theories of coalition formation and their empirical results: Centraland Eastern Europe and Western Europe compared
3.2.1 Coalition‐centred theories
3.2.2 Party‐centred coalition theories
3.2.3 The impact of context factors on government formation
Institutional constraints
Party systems
Historical context factors
Summary
3.3 Government formation with radical right parties
4. A case‐based, configurational, and time‐sensitive research design for studying government formation with radical right parties
4.1 Research designs in the study of government formation
4.2 Analysing government formation with QCA
4.2.1 QCA as a set‐theoretic method
4.2.2 QCA in three steps
Step 1: Case selection and model building
Step 2: Software‐assisted analysis of necessary and sufficient conditions
Step 3: Interpretation of results
4.3 Towards an analytical model
Selecting the most promising explanatory conditions
Characteristics and ideological preferences of radical right parties
Context factors
Supplementary analysis of the composition of coalitions
Bringing the temporal dimension in
The analytical model
Hypotheses
4.4 Operationalisation and measurement
The outcome: What counts as a coalition government?
4.4.2 Party‐centred conditions and party‐system features
Parliamentary strength
Ideological distance to the formateur
Party system fragmentation
Bipolar opposition
Format and ideological range of the government coalition
4.5 The structure of the empirical analysis
5. Government formation with radical right parties in Central Europe: The Visegrad Four
5.1 Czech Republic
5.1.1 Government formation with radical right parties in the Czech Republic
The configuration of the Czech party system
Fragmentation
Bipolar opposition
Characteristics and preferences of Czech radical right parties
Parliamentary strength
Ideological distance to the formateur
Summary
5.2 Hungary
Government formation with radical right parties in Hungary
The configuration of the Hungarian party system
Fragmentation
Bipolar opposition
Characteristics and preferences of Hungarian radical right parties
Parliamentary strength
Ideological distance to the formateur
Summary
5.3 Poland
Government formation with radical right parties in Poland
The configuration of the Polish party system
Fragmentation
Bipolar opposition
Characteristics and preferences of Polish radical right parties
Parliamentary strength
Ideological distance to the formateur
Summary
5.4 Slovakia
Government formation with radical right parties in Slovakia
The configuration of the Slovak party system
Fragmentation
Bipolar opposition
Characteristics and preferences of Slovak radical right parties
Parliamentary strength
Ideological distance to the formateur
The radical right parties: SNS and L’SNS
The formateurs: HZDS, SDKU‐DS, Smer, and OL’aNO
5.4.4 Summary
6. Government formation and the radical right in Northeastern and Southeastern Europe: The Baltics and the Balkans
6.1 Estonia
6.1.1 Government formation with radical right parties in Estonia
6.1.2 The configuration of the Estonian party system
Fragmentation
Bipolar opposition
6.1.3 Characteristics and preferences of Estonian radical right parties
Parliamentary strength
Ideological distance to the formateur
ERSP and Pro Patria
EKRE, the Reform Party, and the Centre Party
6.1.4 Summary
6.2 Latvia
6.2.1 Government formation with radical right parties in Latvia
6.2.2 The configuration of the Latvian party system
Fragmentation
Bipolar opposition
6.2.3 Characteristics and preferences of Latvian radical right parties
Parliamentary strength
Ideological distance to the formateur
6.2.4 Summary
6.3 Bulgaria
6.3.1 Government formation with radical right parties in Bulgaria
6.3.2 The configuration of the Bulgarian party system
Fragmentation
Bipolar opposition
6.3.3 Characteristics and preferences of Bulgarian radical right parties
Parliamentary strength
Ideological distance to the formateur
The radical right: Ataka, the Patriotic Front, and the United Patriots
The formateurs: BSP and GERB
6.3.4 Summary
6.4 Romania
6.4.1 Government formation with radical right parties in Romania
6.4.2 The configuration of the Romanian party system
Fragmentation
Bipolar opposition
6.4.3 Characteristics and preferences of Romanian radical right parties
Parliamentary strength
Ideological distance to the formateur
The radical right: PRM and PUNR
The formateurs: FDSN/PDSR, PNTCD, and PNL
6.4.4 Summary
7. Calibration: Preparing the data for the cross‐national analysis
7.1 The outcome: Government participation
7.2 The context factors: Bipolar opposition and fragmentation intheparty system
7.3 Characteristics and preferences of radical right parties
8. Government formation with radical right parties in the nascent post‐Communist party systems
8.1 Explaining the government participation of radical right parties
8.1.1 Analysis of necessity
8.1.2 Analysis of sufficiency
8.2 Explaining the exclusion of radical right parties from government
8.2.1 Analysis of necessity
8.2.2 Analysis of sufficiency
8.3 Summary
9. Government formation with radical right parties in the consolidating democracies of Central and Eastern Europe
9.1 Explaining the government participation of radical right parties
9.1.1 Analysis of necessity
9.1.2 Analysis of sufficiency
Path 1: Ideological proximity and parliamentary strength
Paths 2 – 4: The impact of a bipolar oppositions in the party system
Summary
9.2 Explaining the exclusion of radical right parties from government
9.2.1 Analysis of necessity
9.2.2 Analysis of sufficiency
Paths 1 – 3: Not in the same camp and not in government
Paths 4 – 5: In the same camp but not in government
Summary
9.3 Explaining the contradictory configuration
9.4 Summary
10. Conclusions
Comparative results
Implications for studying radical right parties and party competition in European democracies
Closing remarks
References
Appendices
Appendix I. Robustness
A) Fuzzy‐set QCA
1. Calibration of set membership
2. Government formation with radical right parties before the first third‑generation elections
2.1 Government participation of radical right parties
2.2 The exclusion of radical right parties from government
3. Government formation with radical right parties after the first third‐generation elections
3.1 Government participation of radical right parties
3.2 The exclusion of radical right parties from government
B) Temporal threshold: EU membership (csQCA)
1. Government formation with radical right parties before EU membership
1.1 Government participation of radical right parties
1.2 The exclusion of radical right parties from government
2. Government formation with radical right parties since EU membership
2.1 Government participation of radical right parties
2.2 The exclusion of radical right parties from government
C) Recalibrating fragmentation
1. Government participation of radical right parties
2. The exclusion of radical right parties from government
Appendix II. Salience of socio‐economic and socio‐cultural issues in Central and Eastern European party systems
Appendix III. Calibration of the higher‐order condition of fundamentally similar socio‐cultural positions
