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Do Parties Matter? A Qualitative Answer with Numbers

In: Do They Walk Like They Talk?

Author

Listed:
  • Jean Crête

    (Université Laval)

  • Nouhoun Diallo

    (Université Laval)

Abstract

A central condition for liberal democracy to persist is that the authorities implement what they said they were going to do. The actions of the authorities, or policies, are here observed through the Inaugural Speeches which list what the governments would do in the following months. The content of those addresses is compared to the content of the electoral party platforms of the parties forming the government. The data cover 46 years of political life in Quebec. The Inaugural Speeches as well as the party platforms are analyzed along a left–right dimension using the categories of the Comparative Manifesto Project. The results show that policies diverge as much in the years 2000 as they did in the 1960s. The detailed study of the party platforms do not predict exactly the policies, but the relative position of the parties, on a left–right continuum, gives a clear idea of what their policies will be. When a political party takes control of the government it implements what it said it was going to do. There is no dissonance between the before and the after.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean Crête & Nouhoun Diallo, 2009. "Do Parties Matter? A Qualitative Answer with Numbers," Studies in Public Choice, in: Louis M. Imbeau (ed.), Do They Walk Like They Talk?, chapter 0, pages 207-221, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:stpchp:978-0-387-89672-4_12
    DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-89672-4_12
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