Majority vs. Opposition in the French National Assembly, 1956–1965: A Guttman Scale Analysis*

1968 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Scale Analysis ◽  
Guttman Scale ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
French Politics ◽  
Fifth Republic ◽  
National Assembly ◽  
Major Transformation ◽  
De Gaulle

A series of significant developments in French politics has recently touched off speculation about the possibility that a major transformation of the structure and behavioral patterns of the system of political parties is taking place. The most salient developments from 1958 until 1967 can be briefly listed: (1) the unprecedented longevity of governmental coalitions throughout the entire span of life of the Fifth Republic (only one Government overthrown in eight years); (2) the near single-party majority attained by the Gaullist UNR in the November, 1962 elections; (3) the ability of five major non-Gaullist parties to coalesce their forces behind only two candidates opposing General de Gaulle in the December, 1965 presidential election, with the resulting necessity for a second ballot; (4) the subsequent merging of forces on the moderate left and the moderate right into combinations bent upon coordinated efforts in the March, 1967 legislative elections; (5) the successful construction of a Gaullist electoral alliance limiting the number of official Gaullist first-ballot candidates in each constituency to one; (6) the electoral agreements between the Communists and the moderate left Fédération permitting only one candidate of the left to remain in the race in any constituency on the second ballot; and (7) the tendency of voters to reward the united fronts of the outgoing Gaullist majority and the consistent leftist opposition and to penalize the relatively small and ambiguous center force, the Centre Démocrate.

French Politics, June-November 1979

1980 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-154
Author(s):  
Stanley Hoffmann
Keyword(s):  
Presidential Election ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Current Phase ◽  
Previous Issue ◽  
French Politics ◽  
Fifth Republic ◽  
Fourth Republic ◽  
De Gaulle

After a summer of ill humor came an autumn of scandals, and French political life hesitates between immobility and fragmentation. For many years now it has resembled an endless boxing match with countless rounds ; as soon as the elections to the European Parliament (discussed in the previous issue of this Review) were over, all thoughts and maneuvers moved on to the next round : the Presidential election of 1981. De Gaulle, blasting the Fourth Republic, had talked of its games, poisons and delights. In the current phase of the Fifth Republic, the delights are few, the poisons can be deadly and the games are sterile.

France: The Come-Back of Political Parties

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Wolff ◽  
Gregory Mounier
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Direct Democracy ◽  
National Assembly ◽  
The People ◽  
Negative Connotation ◽  
De Gaulle ◽  
The Revolution

On 21 September 1792, at Danton's proposal, the French National Assembly declared that ‘there can be no constitution but one approved by the people’. In France, the idea of direct democracy dates back to the Revolution. However, due to the Terror and the practice under Napoleonic Empires, in which they were turned into plebiscites, referendums acquired a negative connotation. Under the Vth Republic, De Gaulle turned referendums into an instrument of personalisation and presidentialisation, and since his day, there have been few referendums staged. In 10 years of office, President Jacques Chirac only used it twice with much less success and political courage.

Cleavage, Aggregation, and Change in French Politics

1972 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 443-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Cerny
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Political Change ◽  
The Other ◽  
French Politics ◽  
Fifth Republic ◽  
The One ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
De Gaulle ◽  
Academic Debate

French politics have been undergoing a process of restructuring since the coming of the Fifth Republic in 1958. This process, like any process of political change, has been a complex one involving many factors and variables. The most obvious of these factors has been the one most commented upon by journalists and contemporary historians – the influence of General de Gaulle and his policies (the new constitution, foreign policy, etc.). What is only beginning to emerge from the academic debate is the relationship between Gaullist politics and the other variables.

Dual-Ballot Elections and Political Parties

1998 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSEPH A. SCHLESINGER ◽  
MILDRED S. SCHLESINGER
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Electoral Rules ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
Electoral Strategies ◽  
Number Of Parties

Although the effect of electoral rules on the number of parties in democracies has been well explored, little attention had been paid to their effect on the parties themselves. The authors examine this problem within the context of French two-ballot rules, which illuminate partisan distinctions rather than blur them as single-ballot rules do. Earlier studies demonstrated that the dual-ballot rules used in French legislative elections allowed four ways of winning, in response to which four stable parties emerged. The French presidential election further illuminated these distinctions. Because there is only one winner, the contest becomes personalized, heightening partisan distinctions in electoral strategies, appeals, and organization. Examining this effect in the 1995 presidential election, the authors conclude that the French dual ballot provides a tool for understanding not only French parties but also parties in which single-ballot rules force all to use similar electoral strategies and appeals.

Anti‐Political Politics: the Barre Phenomenon

1987 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-162
Author(s):  
Franco Rizzuto
Keyword(s):  
Prime Minister ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Crucial Importance ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
Fifth Republic ◽  
National Assembly ◽  
Parliamentary Elections ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Right ◽  
Political Scene

ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENTS ON THE French political scene since the Left's historic victories in the presidential and parliamentary elections of 1981 has been the spectacular emergence of former Prime Minister Raymond Barre as both a powerful contender for the ‘leadership’ of the Right and for the French presidency. His emergence raises a number of interrelated issues which are likely to have a profound impact in France over the next few years.First, it has brought to the fore questions about the nature and perhaps even the very future of the Fifth Republic. The insistent refusal by Barre and his supporters to countenance cohabitation has elevated to the top of the political agenda the perennial issue of constitutional interpretation. What happens when the President of the Republic and the majority in the National Assembly are of opposed political persuasions? This has ceased to be a question of interest only to constitutional scholars but has become a reality after the March 1986 legislative elections resulted in a narrow victory for the RPR-UDF alliance. How Barre and his supporters behave in such a delicate situation is of crucial importance.

France and the West: Concerns and Hopes

1977 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-472
Author(s):  
Jean-Baptiste Duroselle
Keyword(s):  
Third Republic ◽  
Executive Power ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
The West ◽  
Fifth Republic ◽  
Coup D'etat ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Future ◽  
Tremendous Importance ◽  
De Gaulle

On June 1, 1958, following a genuine coup-d'état at Algiers led by European colonials and army leaders General de Gaulle returned to power. A new constitution established the Fifth Republic, which, in contrast to the Third Republic (1875–1940) and to the Fourth (1946–1958), provided for a strong and stable executive power. Twenty years later, in the spring of 1978, legislative elections of tremendous importance for France and for the whole West will take place in France. Already all of France is excited about the result of the debate which seems to center on the kind of society France will have: either the continuation of a liberal regime or the coming to power of a Marxist regime with all the incertitudes this prospect implies for the future of freedom.

Oiling the Wheels of Multi-Party Politics in Africa: How Power Alternation Affects Party Financing in Ghana

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 666-682
Author(s):  
Joseph Oti Frimpong
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Incumbency Advantage ◽  
Party Funding ◽  
Opposition Parties

Supplementing literature study with in-depth unstructured interviews from the two dominant political parties in Ghana on how they mobilize funds, the key argument of this article is that the loss of a presidential election in Ghana is a reduction in a party’s major income streams. Unlike other studies that look at incumbency advantage in party funding from the angle of governments’ policies that weaken the opposition parties, this article analyses incumbency from their sources of funds. It fulfils two major objectives of identifying the sources of funds of political parties and establishing the link between these sources and incumbency.

Mokken Scale Analysis: Discussion and Application

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 672-695
Author(s):  
Thomas DeVaney
Keyword(s):  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Scale Analysis ◽  
Guttman Scale ◽  
Response Theory ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Mokken Scale Analysis ◽  
Irt Models ◽  
Guttman Scaling

This article presents a discussion and illustration of Mokken scale analysis (MSA), a nonparametric form of item response theory (IRT), in relation to common IRT models such as Rasch and Guttman scaling. The procedure can be used for dichotomous and ordinal polytomous data commonly used with questionnaires. The assumptions of MSA are discussed as well as characteristics that differentiate a Mokken scale from a Guttman scale. MSA is illustrated using the mokken package with R Studio and a data set that included over 3,340 responses to a modified version of the Statistical Anxiety Rating Scale. Issues addressed in the illustration include monotonicity, scalability, and invariant ordering. The R script for the illustration is included.

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