M. Cotta - Böcker

This study examines relationships between governments and supporting parties on a comparative European basis. The text 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.