The Nature of Party Government examines relationships between governments and supporting parties on a comparative European basis. The book does so at the level of principles: there is a major conflict between governments, which should govern, and parties, which being representative, wish to shape the way governments operate. The book studies relationships empirically as well: it shows that they occur on three planes, appointments, policy-making and patronage and assesses the extent of two-way influence, from parties to governments and from governments to parties.

R. ANDEWEG Professor of Political Science, University of Leiden A.P. FROGNIER Professor of Political Science, University of Louvain W.C. MUELLER Professor of Political Science, University of Vienna J. NOUSIAINEN Emeritus Professor of Political Science, University of Turku

List of Tables and Figures Preface Notes on the Contributors Introduction; J.Blondel The Normative Base of Party Government; A.P.Frognier Party Government, State and Society: Mapping Boundaries and Interrelations; R.B.Andeweg Defining Party and Government; M.Cotta A Framework for the Empirical Analysis of Government-supporting Party Relations; J.Blondel Political Recruitment and Party Government; R.B.Andeweg Patronage by National Governments; W.C.Mueller Governments, Supporting Parties and Policy Making; J.Blondel & J.Nousiainen Conclusion: From the Simple World of Party Government to a More Complex View of Party-Government Relationships; M.Cotta Bibliography Index