Government formation in presidentialism: Disentangling the combined effects of pre-electoral coalitions and legislative polarization

Lucas Couto*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

Recent research has shed light on the impact of pre-electoral coalitions on government formation in presidential democracies. However, the fact that pre-electoral coalitions are not automatically transformed into coalition cabinets has often gone under the radar. In this article, I argue that the importance of pre-electoral pacts for government formation depends on the degree of legislative polarization. When parties are distant from one another in the ideological spectrum, presidents face more difficulties in breaking away from the pre-electoral pact and rearranging their multiparty alliances. Conversely, when polarization is not pervasive, presidents have more leeway to build coalition cabinets different from the ones prescribed by pre-electoral coalitions. Drawing on a dataset of 13 Latin American countries, the results support my claim and suggest that the relationship between government formation and the concession of office benefits for pre-electoral coalition members is more nuanced than previously assumed.

Original languageEnglish
JournalLatin American Politics & Society
Volume67
Issue1
Pages (from-to)36-55
Number of pages20
ISSN1531-426X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2025

Keywords

  • Coalitional presidentialism
  • government formation
  • Latin America
  • pre-electoral coalitions
  • presidentialism

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