Parties, Institutions and Preferences

The book focuses on the traditional view of party-voter representation, parties and their respective positions, and party systems as central actors, the role of governmental institutions as well on policy inputs, outputs, and outcomes and the agenda setting process. The fundamental characteristics of the political actors such as political parties and the party system and their ideological composition are dealt with. The role governmental institutions play in the policy making process are exemplified covering the characteristics of the agenda-setting power and the consequences for the government's survival. The results of these mechanisms are analyzed while focusing on some classical policies of comparative research such as social and environmental policy.

Erik Baltz is PhD student and lecturer at the Institute for Political Science and Communication Studies at the University of Greifswald. Sven Kosanke is a journalist and project manager at Katapult Magazine. Susanne Pickel is professor for comparative politics at the Department of Political Science at the University of Duisburg-Essen.