Coalitions through a comparative politics lens: Parties and political culture

Political institutions determine which groups and values will be represented by controlling the number and type of parties in parliament and government. Whether the head of government is a president or a prime minister, one of the most fundamental institutional safeguards in democratic systems is the ability of different branches of government to check each other’s power, prevent abuse, and protect democracy. Electoral systems determine the number and nature of parties, what type of electorate they represent, and how. Advocates of the different varieties of electoral systems have argued that certain systems or rules are better, fairer, or more efficient. Joining a coalition government enables parties to participate in executive decision-making and play a key role in policy implementation through control of government ministries. The political parties in a governing coalition and its parliamentary opposition represent different interests-socioeconomic, ideological, ethnic, geographic-within a country.