I argue that intra-party politics constrains party-leaders in making decisions on behalf of the party. Party leaders that are selected by rank-and-file members have less flexibility to pursue government policies that deviate from the official party policy position. By contrast, party leaders that are selected by office-holders, e.g., MPs, have more flexibility to do so. Hence, governments are expected to fall earlier if party leaders are accountable to rank-and-file members. Moreover, party leaders that are accountable to office-holders are expected to be less likely to break governments. These hypotheses are tested using data from 12 European countries from 1945-1998. The results support the theoretical expectations.
Keywords: political parties, coalition, party competition
