Opposition in times of crisis: COVID-19 in parliamentary debates

Louwerse, Tom; Sieberer, Ulrich; Tuttnauer, Or; Andeweg, Rudy B.

doi:10.1080/01402382.2021.1886519

Cited by 65 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 38 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…Overall, we do not see a clear pattern of association. First of all, everywhere in Europe, the level of support for the action of national governments was high, reflecting a rally around the flag effect typically observed in other types of crises (Louwerse et al, 2021). Second, in our sample, only France displays some evidence of a relationship between a decrease in political support and an activation of compensators.…”

Section: Democratic Compensators As Mitigation Measures For Political Support Erosionmentioning

confidence: 65%

“…Parties in government that support human rights and civil liberties are likely to introduce mitigating measures with regard to exceptional situations where these rights and freedoms are undermined. Although studies on partisan positioning on COVID-19 containment measures in several countries report a strong rally-around-the flag effects blurring partisan divides (Louwerse, Sieberer, Tuttnauer & Andeweg, 2021), partisan divides have remained un-blurred in other countries like the United States. In the US, the management of the pandemic was polarised along partisan lines between Republicans, first and foremost former President Trump, who called for an end to closures and restrictions, and Democratic governors who have implemented restrictive measures (see Rozell & Wilcox, 2020).…”

Section: Analytical Framework: Democratic Compensators In Exceptional Timesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Parliamentary minorities have limited counterpowers (i.e. no filibuster), the committee system is weak (Mickler, 2017) and coalition agreements are tight (Moury & Timmermans, 2013;ROB, 2017). Formally, then, counterpowers are relatively weak.…”

Section: Figure 1 Timing Of Democratic Compensators During the First Wave In Belgium The Netherlands And Francementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Resilience of Democracy in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Massart¹,

Vos²,

Egger³

et al. 2021

Politics of the Low Countries

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Since January 2020, European countries have implemented a wide range of restrictions to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet governments have also implemented democratic compensators in order to offset the negative impacts of restrictions. This article aims to account for the variation of their use between Belgium, the Netherlands and France. We analyse three drivers: the strength of counterpowers, the ruling parties' ideological leanings and political support. Building on an original data set, our results distinguish between embedded and ad hoc compensators. We find that ad hoc compensators are championed mainly by counterpowers, but also by ideology of the ruling coalitions in Belgium and the Netherlands and used strategically to maintain political support in France. Evidence on the link between embedded compensators and counterpowers is more ambiguous.

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Section: Democratic Compensators As Mitigation Measures For Political Support Erosionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Section: Analytical Framework: Democratic Compensators In Exceptional Timesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Resilience of Democracy in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Massart¹,

Vos²,

Egger³

et al. 2021

Politics of the Low Countries

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“…In the war-like times that the arrival of Covid-19 instigated, the traditional confrontation between the established opposition and the governing parties, at least in the initial period of the crisis, softened with parties from either of the left-and right-leaning blocks that dominate the national legislature coming together to ensure that the necessary crisis-related response measures could be enacted. A move away from confrontational opposition behaviour is common in times of political crises (Chowanietz, 2011) and has been observed in other European legislatures at the beginning of the pandemic (Louwerse et al, 2021).…”

Section: Made In China and A Threat To Freedom: How Vox Framed The Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 77%

Surviving but not thriving: VOX and Spain in times of Covid-19

Turnbull‐Dugarte¹

2021

Preprint

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We seek to advance the understanding of how the populist radical right in Spain reacted to Covid-19 in 2020. In particular, our contribution seeks to answer three questions. First, we consider the discursive and rhetorical tools adopted by the party. Second, we analyse how VOX, as an opposition party, has sought to challenge the governing coalition and the mainstream right. Specifically, we analyse the incentives, rationale, process and consequences party’s no confidence measure brought against the governing coalition. Third, we assess to what extent the party’s electoral potential has been influenced by the pandemic by analysing the party’s performance in the polls as well as support for VOX’s leadership amongst the party’s own voter base.

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“…The 15 articles assembled in the present collection offer comparative observations relating to the manner in which national decision-makers, including parliamentarians, have responded to the pandemic; the implications of these measures for democratic principles; citizens' attitudes, opinions, evaluations and trust; and EU responses. Louwerse et al (2021) compare how parliamentary opposition parties in four countries responded to the pandemic during the first half of 2020. Their analysis engages with the 'rallying effect' that has also featured prominently in studies of early public reactions (Kritzinger et al 2021).…”

Section: 'First Drafts Of History': Initial Responses Of Governments Publics and The Eumentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19: a dual challenge to European liberal democracy

Goetz

Martinsen

2021

West European Politics

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This article introduces a special issue of West European Politics on the COVID-19 crisis. It first sets out the dual challenge to democratic principles and democratic performance that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed to European liberal democracies. Three bodies of scholarship are especially relevant in framing this dual democratic challenge: those that provide accounts of policy, institutional and legitimacy crises; accounts of the governance of emergencies and of emergency politics; and accounts of political turbulence and organisational and policy responses. The articles that comprise the special issue provide comparative empirical insights into first reactions, with a focus on the responses by political decision-makers, European publics and the EU. Assessments of the likely longer-term, potentially transformative effects of COVID-19 on the principles and performance of European liberal democracies will need to draw on both sectoral and systemic perspectives, with a focus on the organisation and operation of public authority and the state. KEYWORDS COVID-19; liberal democracy; crisis; emergency; turbulence; state COVID-19, which began to appear on the political agenda of European democracies at the start of 2020, has constituted a singular political challenge. It has involved every level of government, from the local to the global, and all branches of government, including executives, parliaments and courts. It has affected all citizens. It has touched every sphere of life, from the public through to the private. It has extended to virtually every policy domain. Its political effects have been rapid, pervasive and profound.The COVID-19 crisis has challenged public policy making, with public health policy at the core, but very quickly diffusing through to many other policy domains. It has put to the test the reactive and adaptive capacities of governments, administrations, specialised agencies, legislatures and courts, notably, but not exclusively, administrative and constitutional

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Opposition in times of crisis: COVID-19 in parliamentary debates

Cited by 65 publications

References 38 publications

The Resilience of Democracy in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Resilience of Democracy in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Surviving but not thriving: VOX and Spain in times of Covid-19

COVID-19: a dual challenge to European liberal democracy

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