Pariah or Partnership? Examining Citizens' Coalition Preferences and their Willingness to Exclude Undesirable Parties from Coalition Formation

Research question/goal: 

 

Coalition governance is the norm in Western democracies, yet voter preferences for coalition models remain understudied. This project examines the determinants of coalition preferences and their implications for elite decision-making, focusing on the exclusion of certain parties from government formation. It explores ideological and policy-based factors, as well as perceptions of parties as democratic threats or defenders. While in Germany mainstream parties systematically excludes right-wing parties, Austrian parties has repeatedly formed coalitions with radical-right parties, providing contrasting cases. However, tensions over coalition formation are not limited to radical right parties; even among parties broadly considered democratic, disagreements persist over which constellations are deemed acceptable or legitimate.

A large-scale survey will be dedicated to analysing coalition preference dynamics among voters. The survey’s findings then serve as the basis for an experimental study, testing voter willingness to accept policy, office, and vote-seeking compromises to exclude specific parties. This project advances understanding of the interplay between coalition preferences, voting behaviour, and elite decision-making in multiparty democracies.

 

Current stage: