Inter-party Agenda-Setting in the Belgian Parliament: The Role of Party Characteristics and Competition

Abstract

In this article we explore the inter-party agenda-setting dynamics in the Belgian parliament during the period 1993–2000 and investigate whether and when parties respond to the attention paid to issues by other parties in parliament. We rely on an elaborate coding of parliamentary questions and interpellations, as well as media coverage and government meetings. Pooled time series analyses demonstrate considerable agenda-setting effects from one party agenda to another. The results indicate that in particular parties from the same language community, parties that participate in government and extreme-right and environmental ‘niche parties’ have agenda-setting power.