In search of political stability : a comparative study of New Brunswick and Northern Ireland

Political scientists have often assumed that communities severely divided by cleavages such as religion and ethnicity will also be unstable. The civil strife experienced by Northern Ireland seems to confirm this assumption. Yet other communities, no less divided than Northern Ireland, have maintained political stability in spite of serious tensions created by religious and ethnic differences. The Canadian province of New Brunswick is an example of such a community. In Search of Political Stability offers a detailed comparison of society and politics in New Brunswick and Northern Ireland. It reveals the fragmented nature of the two communities by comparing the distinctive cultures and separate social institutions of the major blocs, whether English or French, Protestant or Catholic. It documents the contrasting experiences of stability and instability by assessing the durability of each community's political institutions, the legitimacy and efficacy of their governments, and the prevalence or absence of civil strife. The search for the causes of stability and instability focuses on the nature of the social conflicts and the behaviour of the political elites. In New Brunswick major conflicts have cut across the division between the English and French blocs. In Northern Ireland conflicts have tended to reinforce the division between the Protestant and Catholic blocs. The effects of these differing patterns are consistent with the theory of crosscutting cleavages. An examination of the elite political cultures, including such specific elements as campaign strategies, cabinet formation, and civil service composition, shows a pattern of elite cooperation in New Brunswick and elite confrontation in Northern Ireland. These results are broadly consistent with Lijphart's theory of consociational democracy, although significant revisions are made to this theory. Cover Contents Tables Figures Acknowledgements 1. Introduction: Fragmentation and Instability The Pluralist Proposition The Pluralist Proposition Revised The Elite Proposition New Brunswick and Northern Ireland Compared 2. Two Fragmented Communities Major Subcultures Political Parties Education Communication Media Voluntary Associations 3. Stability and Instability Constitutional Durability Political Legitimacy Governmental Efficacy Civil Order 4. The Ethnic and Religious Cleavages The Ethnic Cleavage The Religious Cleavage Cleavage Patterns Effects of Congruence and Crosscutting 5. The Class Cleavage Occupational Stratification Socio-Economic Inequalities Political Influence Conclusion 6. The Political Elites: Coalescence and Competition Establishment of the Pattern Modern Composition of the Cabinets The Civil Service The Northern Ireland Coalition Executive, 1974 7. Elite Political Culture: Cooperation and Confrontation The Traditions of Cooperation and Confrontation Election Slates Clientelism in New Brunswick Politics Cooperative Strategies 8. Conditions Conducive to Cooperative Elite Behaviour Elite Dominance Distinct Lines of Fragmentation Overarching National Solidarity Moderate Partisanship Other Contributing Conditions 9. Conclusion Political Stability New Brunswick Northern Ireland Appendix A: The National Election Study and the Northern Ireland Loyalty Survey Appendix B: Occupational Stratification in New Brunswick and Northern Ireland References Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y