DO PARTIES MAKE A DIFFERENCE - A REAPPRAISAL

Hypothesis: Government spending tends to increase more under governmen ts of the left than under governments of the right. Method: Pooled dat a analysis of changes in central government domestic spending in 18 co untries, between 1962 and 1991. Results: The original finding, that th e partisan composition of governments makes a difference, though a sma ll one, is confirmed. The new results do not, however, replicate the p revious finding that parties matter only under majority governments.