Party Government and the Political Control of Public Policy*

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Abstract
In view of an ongoing debate on the relevance of political parties in public policy formation, this article discusses capacities and limits of party control over public policy in advanced capitalist states. Due to a strong political–economic interdependence, parties, like any other relevant public or private actor, have only severely limited capacities to influence public policy formation. This, however, does not imply that parties do not matter. Rather, the ‘parties do not matter’ theories contain a misunderstanding of the role and the influence of parties. Parties still may have considerable capacities for imposing guidelines and restrictions on the policy process. These capacities, however, depend on conditions which are often difficult to be effected. As a result, the prospects of party government are rather ambivalent.

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