How to Make Coalitions Work?

For the first time in well over 60 years, the UK has a coalition government at the national level. Commentators have wondered aloud if Britain is capable of having stable, long-term coalition government. There is no reason why not. There are plenty of examples of successful coalitions in the devolved areas of the UK, the Commonwealth and Western Europe. In all of these places, proportional representation is the norm, making some form of multiparty government almost inevitable. So how have they made coalition government work? I leave it to others to focus on issues of substance; I focus here mostly on procedural matters.

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