Uncertainty and Complexity in Cabinet Formation

Abstract

Abstract Bargaining is a foundational process of democracy. It pervades every phase of the life cycle of parliamentary politics. In this life cycle, cabinet formation sets the stage for policymaking, which occasionally in turn leads governments to resign, which may be followed by elections, which in turn give rise to the formation of a successor government, and so forth. Then the cycle begins all over again. Any one of these moments in the cycle could serve as a starting point for an examination of coalition politics. Yet, there is one phase of the parliamentary ‘life cycle’ in which inter-party, and often intra-party, bargaining is truly the focal point of political interest, and that is the process of cabinet (government) formation. It is here that bargaining between and within parties is most visible, most intense, and perhaps most decisive. This formative phase of the parliamentary life cycle will indeed be the starting point of our journey in this volume.