Understanding the Success of Presidents and Prime Ministers: The Role of Opposition Parties

McCaffrie, Brendan

doi:10.1080/10361146.2012.677005

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…The behaviour of Opposition parties can constrain or facilitate prime ministerial success. For example, Opposition parties can contribute to the success of reconstructive Prime ministers (McCaffrie, 2012), whether strengthening the government by their own ineptitude, internal divisions and ineffectiveness, or by accepting the government’s agenda and consolidating reconstruction when they return to office. Furthermore, Opposition leaders are themselves positioned in political time.…”

Section: Applying Skowronek To British Prime Ministersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating British prime ministerial performance: David Cameron’s premiership in political time

Byrne

Randall

Theakston

2016

The British Journal of Politics and International Relations

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This article contributes to the developing literature on prime ministerial performance in the UK by applying a critical reading of Stephen SkowronekÕs account of leadership in Ôpolitical timeÕ to evaluate David CameronÕs premiership. This, we propose, better understands the inter-relationship of structure and agency in prime ministerial performance than existing frameworks, particularly those based on GreensteinÕs and BulpittÕs approaches. We identify Cameron as a disjunctive prime minister but find it necessary to significantly develop the model of disjunctive leadership beyond that offered by Skowronek. We identify the warrants to authority, strategies and dilemmas associated with disjunctive leadership in the UK. We argue that Cameron was relatively skilful in meeting many of the challenges confronting an affiliated leader of a vulnerable regime. However, his second term exposed deep fractures in the regime which proved beyond CameronÕs skills as a disjunctive leader. Research highlights This article:¥ Contributes to the debate about the best theoretical frameworks for evaluating prime ministerial performance in the UK. ¥ Argues that an historical institutionalist framework is able to address the major shortcoming of existing frameworks, namely evaluating prime ministerial performance in the structural context of the political environment in which holders of that office act. ¥ Adapts Stephen SkowronekÕs account of the performance of US presidents to the constitutional, institutional and political circumstances of the UK polity and significantly develops SkowronekÕs account of regime vulnerability and the characteristics and constraints of disjunctive leadership ¥ Applies this adapted model for the purposes of a systematic evaluation of David CameronÕs premiership. This identifies that although Cameron was relatively successful in negotiating the challenges and constraints of disjunctive prime ministerial leadership in his first term he made commitments which, in his second term, exposed key fault lines in the regime and proved beyond CameronÕs skills as a disjunctive leader to manage.2

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Section: Applying Skowronek To British Prime Ministersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating British prime ministerial performance: David Cameron’s premiership in political time

Byrne

Randall

Theakston

2016

The British Journal of Politics and International Relations

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“…If political competition were instead rife with conflicts, an opposition party’s electoral fortunes would depend on how well it opposes government policies. Since opposition parties can prevent prime ministers from successful legislation (McCaffrie, 2012), the more effective they are in doing so, the more votes they can expect to receive in the next election. As such, under this environment, leaders of large opposition parties can strengthen their power by successfully discrediting the government, even if they were chosen in midst of intraparty conflicts and/or if their policy stances yield little internal legitimacy.…”

Section: Westminster Systems and Party Leadership Evictionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, “Westminster systems are still at the bottom of the league table when it comes to opposition influence on parliamentary decision-making” (Kaiser, 2008: 36). In these systems, then, the most effective strategy for large opposition parties to win the next election is to damage the government’s image and attack its policies (Kaiser, 2008; Kam, 2009; McCaffrie, 2012). Those that are successful in doing so would boost their performances in the next parliamentary election.…”

Section: Westminster Systems and Party Leadership Evictionmentioning

confidence: 99%

More spotlight, more problems? Westminster parliamentary systems and leadership replacement in large opposition parties

2016

Party Politics

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In this article, I argue that Westminster parliamentary systems encourage large opposition parties to replace their leaders between elections. Parliamentary system structures how parties compete over legislative outcomes. In Westminster systems, the government’s dominance in the legislative process promotes an adversarial government–opposition relationship. Subsequently, large opposition parties’ electoral prospects are tied to their ability to discredit the government’s policy agenda. Since this responsibility falls to party leaders, leaders of large opposition parties directly affect their parties’ electoral prospects, and parties are more motivated to replace those who are ineffective in damaging the government’s credibility. Therefore, leaders of large opposition parties in Westminster systems carry a higher risk of replacement than their counterparts in other parliamentary systems. I construct an original data set on party leadership turnover in 14 established parliamentary democracies. Results from Cox proportional hazard models support my claim and suggest that institution influences intraparty dynamics.

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“…Although Skowronek’s work is built on an examination of the US Constitution and Presidency, it also provides a basis for comparative research and a broad explanatory narrative for regime dynamics. The author’s theory has recently been explored as a suitable and fruitful model for application in parliamentary contexts as well (Byrne et al, 2017; Laing and McCaffrie, 2013; McCaffrie, 2012; ‘t Hart, 2011, 2014). Hence, the task of this paper is to engage in an intellectual enterprise of ‘conceptual travelling’ (Sartori, 1970).…”

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confidence: 99%

Broadening the limits of reconstructive leadership: Constructivist elements of Viktor Orbán’s regime-building politics

Illés

Körösényi

Metz

2018

The British Journal of Politics and International Relations

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Hungary's political backsliding, which has transformed it from a former frontrunner of liberal democracy in the post-communist region to an illiberal and/or authoritarian state, has puzzled political scientists. As a contribution to understanding the problem of Viktor Orbán's leadership and the regime change, we apply Stephen Skowronek's concept of 'reconstructive leadership'. The politics of reconstruction, with an emphasis on the introduction of new standards of legitimacy, and the mobilization of support for new modes of governance, leaves ample room for appreciating the role of political leadership. Through an analysis of three policy areas (constitution-making, macroeconomic-and immigration policy) related to Orbán's efforts at reconstruction, we argue that the Hungarian case underscores the formative role of agency even more than in Skowronek's original conception. Reviewing some possible criticisms of Skowronek's perspective and some recent literature about 'discursive institutionalism' we argue that the Hungarian case makes a vital correction to the Skowronekian concept, suggesting the value of taking a more constructivist approach.

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Understanding the Success of Presidents and Prime Ministers: The Role of Opposition Parties

Cited by 13 publications

References 20 publications

Evaluating British prime ministerial performance: David Cameron’s premiership in political time

Evaluating British prime ministerial performance: David Cameron’s premiership in political time

More spotlight, more problems? Westminster parliamentary systems and leadership replacement in large opposition parties

Broadening the limits of reconstructive leadership: Constructivist elements of Viktor Orbán’s regime-building politics

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