Effects and Implications of Coalition Governments free essay sample

Effects and implications of coalition governments on the political scenario in India Abstract: Parliamentary democracies ruled by multiparty cabinets make foreign policy decisions in a fairly unique institutional context, complicated by the politics of coalition government. Recent research suggests that this context is associated with foreign policy behaviors that are quite distinct in character from foreign policy made by single party cabinets. In particular, coalitions tend to engage in more extreme (both more peaceful and more aggressive) and more committed foreign policies. In this paper, we examine the reasons behind extreme foreign policy choices by coalition cabinets. We also investigate the proposition that some coalitions are more likely to engage in conflictual behavior, while others are more likely to be cooperative. In doing so, we unpack the category of coalitions and study the effects that certain cabinet characteristics have on foreign policy. In particular, we examine the effects of coalition strength, the number of parties in the coalition, and the ideological placement of coalition parties. We will write a custom essay sample on Effects and Implications of Coalition Governments or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These characteristics stem from different institutional and political situations that coalitions face, but are also connected to long-standing psychological explanations of group decision making. Our study is a quantitative analysis using published data on the characteristics of coalitions. Politics of India The place in a framework of a federal parliamentary multi-party representative democratic republic modeled after the British Westminster System. The Prime Minister of India is the head of government, while the President of India is the formal head of state and holds substantial reserve powers, placing him or her in approximately the same position as the British monarch. Executive power is exercised by the government. Federal legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament of India. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.