Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-dfsvx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T11:12:22.776Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

‘Stretched But Not Snapped’: A Response to Russell and Serban on Retiring the ‘Westminster Model’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2021

Matthew Flinders Open the ORCID record for Matthew Flinders [Opens in a new window] ,
David Judge ,
R.A.W. Rhodes Open the ORCID record for R.A.W. Rhodes [Opens in a new window]  and
Adrian Vatter Open the ORCID record for Adrian Vatter [Opens in a new window]
Matthew Flinders*
Affiliation:
Department of Politics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
David Judge
Affiliation:
Department of Politics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
R.A.W. Rhodes
Affiliation:
Department of Politics, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Adrian Vatter
Affiliation:
Institute of Political Science, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland
*
*Corresponding author. Email: m.flinders@sheffield.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article engages with Meg Russell and Ruxandra Serban's (2021) argument that the Westminster model is ‘a concept stretched beyond repair’ that deserves ‘to be retired’. We examine the logic, theory and methods that led to such a powerful, potent and provocative argument. We suggest their approach may have inadvertently ‘muddied’ an already muddled concept. We assess the implications of ‘muddying’ for their conclusion that the Westminster model is, in essence, a dead concept in need of a decent funeral. We suggest the concept is ‘stretched but not snapped’ by developing a simple four-perspective broadening of the analytical lens. This approach aids understanding about what the concept covers, how it is operationalized and why it remains useful in comparative research.

Keywords

Westminster modeldemocracycomparative politicsconceptsinterpretivisminstitutionalism
Type
Article
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 57 , Issue 2 , April 2022 , pp. 353 - 369
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Government and Opposition Limited

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Almond, G (1990) A Discipline Divided. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Altman, D (2008) Collegiate Executives and Direct Democracy in Switzerland and Uruguay: Similar Institutions, Opposite Political Goals, Distinct Results. Swiss Political Science Review 14(3), 483–520. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1662-6370.2008.tb00110.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bagehot, W (2001 [1867]) The English Constitution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barber, S (2014) Stretched but not Snapped: Constitutional Lessons from the 2010 Coalition Government in Britain. Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 52(4), 473–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2014.959287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, B (1975) The Consociational Model and its Dangers. European Journal of Political Research 3(4), 393–412. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6765.1975.tb01253.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bauman, Z (2011) Culture in a Liquid Modern World. Cambridge: Polity.Google Scholar
Bernauer, J and Vatter, A (2019) Power Diffusion and Democracy: Institutions, Deliberation and Outcomes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bevir, M (2008) The Westminster Model, Governance and Judicial Reform. Parliamentary Affairs 61(4), 559–577. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsn025.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bevir, M (2010) Democratic Governance. Princeton: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bevir, M and Kedar, A (2008) Concept Formation in Political Science. Perspectives on Politics 6(3), 503–517. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1537592708081255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bevir, M and Rhodes, RAW (2003) Interpreting British Governance. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Birch, AH (1964) Representative and Responsible Government. London: Allen & Unwin.Google Scholar
Birch, A (1993) The Concepts and Theories of Modern Democracy. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Blyth, B (2006) Great Punctuations: Prediction, Randomness, and the Evolution of Comparative Political Science. American Political Science Review 100(4), 493–498. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055406062344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bogaards, M (2000) The Uneasy Relationship between Empirical and Normative Types in Consociational Theory. Journal of Theoretical Politics 12(4), 395–423. https://doi.org/10.1177/0951692800012004002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bogaards, M, Helms, L and Lijphart, A (2019) The Importance of Consociationalism for Twenty-First Century Politics and Political Science. Swiss Political Science Review 25(4), 341–356. https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boswell, J, Corbett, J and Rhodes, RAW (2019) The Art and Craft of Comparison. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boudon, R (1993) Towards a Synthetic Theory of Rationality. International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 7(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/02698599308573439.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burawoy, A (1998) The Extended Case Method. Sociological Theory 16(1), 4–33. https://doi.org/10.1111%2F0735-2751.00040.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cabinet Office (2011) The Cabinet Manual. London: Cabinet Office.Google Scholar
Cabinet Office (2019) Ministerial Code. London: Cabinet Office.Google Scholar
Collier, D and Levitsky, S (1997) Democracy with Adjectives: Conceptual Innovation in Comparative Research. World Politics 49(3), 430–451.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collier, D and Mahon, J (1993) Conceptual ‘Stretching’ Revisited: Adapting Categories in Comparative Analysis. American Political Science Review 87(4), 845–855. https://doi.org/10.2307/2938818.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collier, D and Raney, T (2018) Understanding Sexism and Sexual Harassment in Politics: A Comparison of Westminster Parliaments in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Social Politics 25(3), 423–455. https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxy024.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collier, D, Hidalgo, F and Maciuceanu, A (2006) Essentially Contested Concepts. Journal of Political Ideologies 11(3), 211–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569310600923782CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooter, R (1994) Void for Vagueness. California Law Review 82(3), 487–491. https://doi-org.sheffield.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0272989X9501500321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, B (1959) The American Science of Politics. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Curtin, D (2014) Challenging Executive Dominance in European Democracy. Modern Law Review 77(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2230.12054.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Defty, A (2020) From Committees of Parliamentarians to Parliamentary Committees. Intelligence and National Security 35(3), 367–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/02684527.2020.1732646.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, P (2014) Governing Britain: Power, Politics, and the Prime Minister. London: I.B. Tauris.Google Scholar
Eichbaum, C and Shaw, R (2007) Ministerial Advisers, Politicization and the Retreat from Westminster: The Case of New Zealand. Public Administration 85(3), 609–640. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2007.00666.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleming, TG (2019) Partisan Dealignment and Committee Power in Five Westminster Parliaments. European Journal of Political Research 58(2), 536–556. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6765.12299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flinders, M (2005) Majoritarian Democracy in Britain: New Labour and the Constitution. West European Politics 28(1), 62–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/0140238042000297099.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flinders, M (2009) Democratic Drift: Majoritarian Modification and Democratic Anomie in the United Kingdom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flinders, M (2011) Devolution, Delegation and the Westminster Model: A Comparative Analysis of Developments within the UK, 1998–2009. Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 49(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2011.541109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Freiburghaus, R and Vatter, A (2019) The Political Side of Consociationalism Reconsidered: Switzerland between a Polarized Parliament and Delicate Government Collegiality. Swiss Political Science Review 25(4), 357–380. https://doi.org/10.1111/spsr.12359.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallie, WB (1956) Essentially Contested Concepts. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 56(1), 167–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gamble, A (1990) Theories of the British Politics. Political Studies 38(3), 404–420. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.1990.tb01078.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gamble, A (2006) The Constitutional Revolution in the United Kingdom. Publius: The Journal of Federalism 36(1), 19–35. https://doi.org/10.1093/publius/pjj011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geertz, C (1973) Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture. In Geertz, C (ed.), The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books, pp. 3–30.Google Scholar
Gerring, J and Thacker, SC (2008) A Centripetal Theory of Democratic Governance. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goertz, G (2006) Social Science Concepts: A User's Guide. Princeton: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greenleaf, W (1983) The British Political Tradition. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Hall, M (2011) Political Traditions and UK Politics. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Helms, L (2020) Heir Apparent Prime Ministers in Westminster Democracies: Promise and Performance. Government and Opposition: An International Journal of Comparative Politics 55(2), 260–282. https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2018.22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hennessy, P (1995) The Hidden Constitution. London: Victor Gollancz.Google Scholar
Judge, D (1993) The Parliamentary State. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Judge, D (2014) Democratic Incongruities: Representative Democracy in Britain. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Keil, S and McCulloch, A (eds) (2021) Power-Sharing in Europe: Past Practices, Present Cases, and Future Directions. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, D and Casey, C (2021) The Resilience of Executive Dominance in Westminster Systems. Public Law 2, 335–374.Google Scholar
Lijphart, A (1984) Democracies: Patterns of Majoritarian and Consensus Government in Twenty-One Countries. New Haven: Yale University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lijphart, A (2012) Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries, 2nd edn. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Lustick, I (1997) Lijphart, Lakatos, and Consociationalism. World Politics 50(1), 88–117. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0043887100014738.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mackintosh, JP (1970) The Politics and Government of England. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Marsh, D (2012) British Politics: A View from Afar. British Politics 7(1), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.1057/bp.2011.34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Matthews, F (2011) Constitutional Stretching: Coalition Governance and the Westminster Model. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics 49(4), 486–509. https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2011.615169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mills, CW (1959) The Sociological Imagination. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
O'Brien, D (2019) Bicameralism in Small States: The Experience of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History 47(4), 591–617. https://doi.org/10.1080/03086534.2018.1539728.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Palonen, K (2018) A Comparison Between Three Ideal Types of Parliamentary Politics: Representation, Legislation and Deliberation. Parliaments, Estates and Representation 38(1), 6–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/02606755.2018.1427325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patapan, H, Wanna, J and Weller, P (2005) Westminster Legacies: Democracy and Responsible Government in Asia and the Pacific. Sydney: UNSW Press.Google Scholar
Rhodes, RAW (1988) Beyond Westminster and Whitehall. London: Unwin-Hyman.Google Scholar
Rhodes, RAW (2011) Everyday Life in British Government. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Rhodes, RAW, Wanna, J and Weller, P (2009) Comparing Westminster. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richards, D (2008) New Labour and the Civil Service: Reconstituting the Westminster Model. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richards, D and Smith, M (2016) The Westminster Model and the ‘Indivisibility of the Political and Administrative Elite’: A Convenient Myth Whose Time is Up? Governance 29(4), 499–516. https://doi.org/10.1111/gove.12225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roller, E (2005) Performance of Democracies: Political Institutions and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rorty, R (1980) Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Russell, M and Serban, R (2021) The Muddle of the ‘Westminster Model’: A Concept Stretched Beyond Repair. Government and Opposition: An International Journal of Comparative Politics 56(4), 744–764. https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2020.12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sartori, G (1970) Concept Misformation in Comparative Politics. American Political Science Review 64(4), 1033–1063. https://doi.org/10.2307/1958356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sartori, G (1984) Guidelines for Concept Analysis. In Sartori, G (ed.), Social Science Concepts: A Systematic Analysis. Beverly Hills: Sage, pp. 15–88.Google Scholar
Sartori, G (2009 [1984]) Guidelines for Concept Analysis. In Collier, D and Gerring, J (eds), Concepts and Method in Social Science: The Tradition of Giovanni Sartori. London: Routledge, pp. 97–150.Google Scholar
Seawright, J and Gerring, J (2008) Case Selection Techniques in Case Study Research: A Menu of Qualitative and Quantitative Options. Political Research Quarterly 61(2), 294–308. https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912907313077CrossRefGoogle Scholar
So, F (2018) More Spotlight, More Problems? Westminster Parliamentary Systems and Leadership Replacement in Large Opposition Parties. Party Politics 24(5), 588–597. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354068816678885.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stark, A (2010) Legislatures, Legitimacy and Crises: The Relationship Between Representation and Crisis Management. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 18(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5973.2010.00598.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stark, A (2011) The Tradition of Ministerial Responsibility and its Role in the Bureaucratic Management of Crisis. Public Administration 89(3), 1148–1163. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2011.01924.x.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swedberg, R (2018) How to Use Max Weber's Ideal Type in Sociological Analysis. Journal of Classical Sociology 18(3), 181–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468795X17743643.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsebelis, G (2009) Agenda Setting and Executive Dominance in Politics. In Ganghof, S, Honnige, C and Stecker, C (eds), Parlamente, Agendasetzung und Vetospieler. Berlin: Springer, pp. 25–39.Google Scholar
UK Parliament (2020) Parliament's Authority. www.parliament.uk/about/how/role/sovereignty/.Google Scholar
Vatter, A, Freiburghaus, R and Arens, A (2020) Coming a Long Way: Switzerland's Transformation from a Majoritarian to a Consensus Democracy (1848–2018). Democratization 27(6), 970–989. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2020.1755264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weller, P, Grube, D and Rhodes, RAW (2021) Comparing Cabinets. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wincott, D, Davies, G and Wager, A (2020) Crisis, What Crisis? Conceptualizing Crisis, UK Pluri-Constitutionalism and Brexit Politics. Regional Studies, published early online, September. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2020.1805423.Google Scholar
Wittgenstein, L (2009 [1953]) Philosophical Investigations. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar