A theory of coalitions and clientelism: Coalition politics in Iceland, 1945–2000

• Published in: European Journal of Political Research
• Main Author: INDRIDASON, INDRIDI H.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2005
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2005.00234.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1475-6765.2005.00234.x; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2005.00234.x/fullpdf

Abstract. This article serves a dual purpose. First, it provides detailed information about coalition formation and termination in Iceland from 1945 to 2000 following closely the format of Wolfgang Müller and Kaare Strøm (eds), Coalition Politics in Western Europe (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), which considers the other Western European democracies. The political landscape of Iceland is surveyed, as is the institutional framework that structures the formation of coalitions, coalition governance and cabinet termination while providing complete data for each cabinet. Second, the effects clientelism has on coalition politics through the inflated importance of the executive office are considered. The patterns of coalition politics in the Nordic countries are compared to offer preliminary evidence supporting the theory.