The Right and the (Provincial) Welfare State

The Case of the Coalition Avenir Québec Government

Bibliographic Data

ID6236866
AuthorsDaniel Béland (0000-0003-2756-5629, McGill University), Shannon Dinan (0000-0002-2714-6865, Université Laval), Olivier Jacques (0000-0002-3864-1773, Université de Montréal, corresponding author), Patrik Marier (0000-0003-4551-6716, Concordia University)
Year2023
Volume56
Issue3
Pages636-655
Publication date2023-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCanadian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0008-4239 • E-ISSN: 1744-9324
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0008423923000379
OpenAlexW4381511480
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited25

In this article, we study how political parties located on the right of the political spectrum adapt to changing electoral and political constraints. Drawing on the concept of policy feedback, we turn to the politics of social policy in the province of Quebec to show that the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), a right-wing party, embraced a more centrist strategy than the preferences of its electoral base would suggest. The CAQ has rejected the austerity policies associated with the previous government and has favoured social policy expansion rather than tax cuts or a quicker return to balanced budgets. We then explore the reasons for this move toward the centre. Our evidence suggests that self-reinforcing feedback effects from existing policies shape public opinion and electoral strategies, which contribute to moderating the actions of this right-wing governing party

Austerity · Coalition government · Economics · Government (linguistics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public policy · State (computer science · Welfare · Welfare economics · Welfare state · Law · Policy Transfer and Learning · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Public Administration · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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