Florence So on government breakdown published in the American Political Science Review

Published 13 November 2023

Conflictual cabinet terminations are seismic events in democracies, but their consequences are understudied. Florence So argues that the electoral impacts of conflictual cabinet terminations following non-policy conflicts are electorally costly. They signal parties’ deteriorating governing competence, which reduces parties’ vote shares.

High resolution color photo Florence So. — Florence So, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Political Science, Lund University.

In contrast, terminations following policy conflicts, particularly those between parties, signal parties’ unwillingness to compromise their policy positions and clarify parties’ policy profiles, thus allowing them to evade voter punishment and junior coalition parties to reap electoral reward. Statistical analyses using the Party Government in Europe Database provide supportive evidence. The findings have large implications on electoral accountability of intra-cabinet conflicts and the quality of governance.

Author: Florence So

Title: Serious Conflicts with Benign Outcomes? The Electoral Consequences of Conflictual Cabinet Terminations

Link to the article in American Political Science Review