Peculiarities of inter-institutional relationsin the semi-presidential countries of Europe

Abstract

The article compared and systematized the parameters and features of interrelation between the indicators and patterns of stability, conflictivness and effectiveness of inter-institutional relations within the framework of various types of semi-presidentialism in European countries. For this purpose the research initially proposed the definition and clarified the definitive features of semi-presidentialism, as well as singled out its examples as the most common system of state government in European countries, and then it is argued that it is appropriate to speak of semi-presidentialism in the plural. With this in mind, three basic classifications of semi-presidentialism, in particular formal or institutional, factual or political and formal-factual or institutional-political one, as well as types of semi-presidentialism within each of them were highlighted and filled with content and details. Given this, the study empirically verified and confirmed, predominantly based on the experience of European countries, the position theorized in Political Science, according to which semi-presidentialism and its separate types lead to quite different and even mutually exclusive consequences, risks and prospects. The latter, among others, are manifested in the multidirectional interrelation between semi-presidentialism and its options, on one hand, and stability, conflict and effectiveness of inter-institutional relations in the triangle „president — prime minister/governmental cabinet — parliament”, on the other hand. Thus, the article confirmed the expediency of interpreting semi-presidentialism as not a homogeneous, but a heterogeneous phenomenon that causes dissimilar effects, including that on stability, conflict and effectiveness of inter-institutional relations within the framework of various types of the analyzed system of government in European countries. Taking this into account, it was concluded that precisely different types of semi-presidentialism (but not semi-presidentialism in general) both theoretically and empirically are more reliable and valid indicators for the choice of systems of government than criticism of each of them, since the former can manifest themselves differently in diverse situations, thus approaching or moving away from the optimal and desirable construction of inter-institutional relations.

Keywords

• system of state government
• semi-presidentialism
• governmental cabinet
• president
• parliament
• inter-institutional relations
• stability
• conflictedness
• effectiveness
• the executive dualism
• european countries