Lijphart C6

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Lijphart C6

• Cabinet Formation

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Cabinets

• What do we mean by cabinet?
• Presidential v. Parliamentary cabinets
• In parliamentary systems of government, cabinets
• have to be formed so that they will enjoy the
• confidence of-or at least be tolerated by-a
• parliamentary majority (91).

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Theories of Cabinet Formation

• Minimum Winning
• Minimum Size
• Bargaining Position/Smallest Number of Parties
• Minimal Range
• Minimal Connected Winnin
• Policy-Viable

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Issues

• Constructive Votes of no confidence
• Making a particular piece of legislation a
  confidence issue (France).

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Example

• From the UK Parliaments Web site
• Motions of No Confidence
• Parliamentary control of the Government is
  ultimately exercised by the ability of the House
  of Commons to force the Government to resign.
  This may happen if a resolution of 'no
  confidence' is passed or if a proposal which the
  Government considers so vital to its policy that
  it has made it a matter of confidence is
  rejected.
• The Opposition's ability to defeat the
  Government in a vote of 'no confidence' depends
  on the relative voting strengths in the Commons.
  Where the Government has a comfortable majority
  such a motion is very unlikely to succeed. There
  are also dangers for the Opposition in that no
  confidence motions tend to unite the ruling
  party. Consequently, such motions are relatively
  infrequent. Successful motions are even rarer.
• The last successful no confidence motion was in
  March 1979 when the Opposition motion was passed
  by just one vote - 311 to 310. Parliament was
  then dissolved in April and the general election
  took place in May.

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