Studying Parliamentary Opposition in Old and New Democracies: Issues and Perspectives

Helms, Ludger

doi:10.1080/13572330801920788

Cited by 63 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Dahl's pioneering study on opposition in ten western democracies (1966) dates back half a century, and it is striking that the research field on opposition since then has seen few scholarly contributions based on solid empirical data (for notable exceptions, see, Andeweg, 2013;Blondel, 1997;Christiansen and Damgaard, 2008;Helms, 2004Helms, , 2009Kaiser, 2008;Loxbo and Sjölin, 2017;von Beyme, 1987). Even more striking is the absence of studies that focus on opposition in EU politics; contributions by Neunreither (1998), Mair (2007Mair ( , 2013 and Helms (2009) are rare exceptions. For sure, controversies or political contestation have been examined in studies that deal with negotiations, coalition building and voting behaviour at the EU level.…”

Section: Previous Research On Political Opposition In Eu Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Alleged Opposition Deficit in European Union Politics: Myth or Reality?

Karlsson

Persson

2018

J of Common Market Studies

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According to the ‘opposition deficit thesis’ European Union politics is characterized by a conspicuous absence of opposition to the policies promoted by the EU. However, once we start looking for systematic evidence supporting the claim of an opposition deficit in EU politics, we come up surprisingly empty handed. This article seeks to rectify the lacuna in previous research by examining how much and what type of opposition actually exist in EU politics. The study formulates four hypotheses on the state of political opposition in EU politics, and breaks new ground by testing their validity by use of unique data collected from the Swedish European Affairs Committee for the period 1995–2016. The results show there is in fact considerably more opposition present in EU politics than has previously been assumed. The opposition deficit thesis thus seems to be more myth than reality.

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Section: Previous Research On Political Opposition In Eu Politicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Alleged Opposition Deficit in European Union Politics: Myth or Reality?

Karlsson

Persson

2018

J of Common Market Studies

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“…These conventions operate through three standard features of financial control: the chain of accountability (the delegation of authority to spend and the upward answerability of delegates within hierarchies), the notion of fiduciary stewardship (the administration of public monies is accounted for primarily through regularity and legality), and the administrative objective of economy (the control of expenditure is exercised through fixed financial inputs) (Funnell et al : 12–64; cf Foldes ). These ‘constitutional’ arrangements are singularly important because as laws, practices, and understandings they limit the type of ‘institutional opportunity structures’ (Helms : xviii‐xix) that might be available within Westminster‐type systems to enhance discretionary decision‐making below the ministerial level. In other words, budgeting as regularity is commonly accepted as the ‘focus and locus’ of public accountability.…”

Section: Budget Rules: a Taxonomy For Analysing Budget Flexibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Rules and Flexibility in Public Budgeting: The Case of Budget Modernisation in Australia

Francesco

2015

Aust J Public Adm

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This paper explores the features of public budgeting that make it resistant to efforts to balance central oversight and situational flexibility. Its aim is to help explain why systemic efforts at budget modernisation in the name of 'devolution' may have failed to deliver expanded budget flexibility. After defining flexibility, and briefly surveying how it can be inhibited by budget practices using the example of collaboration, the paper applies a taxonomy of general 'budget rules' to illustrate the trade-offs between control and flexibility. It uses an analysis of budget reform in the Australian federal government over the last 30 years to identify a key set of 'legacy reforms' -all intended primarily to enable budget flexibility -to show how their design and redesign were purposed as modification to the general rules, and how, ultimately, they were constrained by them.

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“…crónicas ou conjunturais, entre forças políticas e à própria formatação das instituições democráticas, que podem imprimir uma relação conflitual em relação às regras do jogo e ao funcionamento do sistema político, como já foi referido. De resto, a boa prática internacional (Council of Europe, 2008) aponta precisamente no sentido de considerar a necessidade do reconhecimento jurídico-constitucional de um conjunto de direitos e garantias aos atores políticos e sociais, de modo a que possam criticar e contestar publicamente a atuação do governo e as suas políticas, um dos princípios fundamentais para o desenvolvimento de uma democracia com qualidade (Helms, 2008).…”

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O direito de oposição nos municípios portugueses

Almeida

Sousa

2019

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O direito de oposição nos municípios portugueses. A ordem jurídica portuguesa consagra constitucionalmente e através de lei ordinária dedicada para o efeito, um direito de oposição (Lei 24/98, de 26 de maio). A aplicação deste instrumento regulador, sobretudo na esfera política local, onde as tensões entre governo e oposição se fazem sentir com maior acuidade, não tem merecido a atenção devida quer do ponto de vista da reflexão normativa, quer em termos da investigação empírica. Passados 20 anos desde a sua adoção, este artigo procura analisar, de forma diacrónica, as soluções consagradas neste diploma legal, propondo um conjunto de alterações ao normativo em vigor. palavras-chave: oposição; democracia; governo local; municípios.The right of opposition in Portuguese municipalities. The Portuguese legal system establishes in its constitution and through a dedicated ordinary law, the right of opposition (Law 24/98, of May 26). The application of this regime, in particular to local politics where the tensions between Government and Opposition are felt more acutely, has not received sufficient attention both in normative and empirical terms. 20 years after its adoption, this article seeks to analyse, longitudinally, the solutions established in this legal regime and to propose a set of changes to the current Law.

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Studying Parliamentary Opposition in Old and New Democracies: Issues and Perspectives

Cited by 63 publications

References 9 publications

The Alleged Opposition Deficit in European Union Politics: Myth or Reality?

The Alleged Opposition Deficit in European Union Politics: Myth or Reality?

Rules and Flexibility in Public Budgeting: The Case of Budget Modernisation in Australia

O direito de oposição nos municípios portugueses

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