Opposition is anything that goes against, resists or disagrees with something or someone. It is an important part of democratic debate and can be a key way to increase the effectiveness of your group or coalition. Opponents can use a variety of different attacks to undermine your efforts. For example, if you are trying to increase access to birth control for community youth, opponents may try to deflect your discussion into a long-drawn argument about family values.
While research on opposition behaviour is often focused on plenary activity, it is also necessary to consider the less visible aspects of the parliamentary process. For instance, it might be the case that opposition actors – or even entire parties – change their behaviour in response to emerging or declining opportunities. How fast and how much can this happen, and what are the implications?
In addition, it is often the case that partisan features – including the degree of polarisation of the party system and the degree to which new challengers are integrated – influence opposition goals and parliamentary behaviour. The workshop expects contributions that explore how parliamentary dynamics and opposition behaviour might be changed by these factors.
The aim of the workshop is to understand how opposition parties interact with parliament and the wider political environment in order to improve democracy. This will be done through examining the ways in which opposition parties achieve their goal of scrutinising government policy and putting forward alternative proposals.
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