Definition
Oppositional power refers to the degree of influence of nongoverning parties or nongoverning members of parliament on the policy-making process.
Introduction
In democracies, the focus of this entry, oppositional power refers to the degree of influence of nongoverning parties or nongoverning single members of parliament on the policy-making process. As Robert Dahl, one of the “founding fathers” of political science, noted already 50 years ago, the existence of an opposition can be regarded “as very nearly the most distinctive characteristic of democracy itself” (Dahl 1966: Preface xvi). Autocracies, in contrast, stand out by restricting, limiting, or repressing oppositions, inside and outside of parliament. Despite this crucial role of oppositions for democratic political systems, the influence of oppositions on the policy-making process, that is,...
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References
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Garritzmann, J.L. (2016). Oppositional Power. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2534-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2534-1
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