From Opposition to Implementation: Unraveling the Strategy of Technocratic Populist Government’s Appropriation of Opposition Policy Proposals

Abstract

This article examines the appropriation of opposition policy proposals undertaken by the Czech minority governments led by Andrej Babiš and his technocratic populist party, ANO. The article defines policy appropriation and then assesses its theoretical and empirical underpinnings within the broader context of a technocratic populist government. This is followed by a discussion of Babiš’s premierships and ANO’s tenure, their incentives to appropriate policy and how appropriation unfolded. Employing a multiple-case study design, the article scrutinizes fifteen policies affected by appropriation with the help of parliamentary documents available online. The findings reveal three relationships among bills addressing the same issues: policy appropriation, policy ownership conflict, and unrelated governmental policies. In cultivating the image of expert competence, technocratic populists may encounter challenges in achieving other objectives, such as fostering an efficient parliament. While several bills addressed similar policies in similar ways, not all of the opposition’s allegations were substantiated. Nevertheless, the government’s conduct diminishes the role and contributions of the opposition in the Chamber of Deputies, potentially undermining political pluralism by delegitimizing the opposition.