Coalition formation is an important feature in Western European politics.
The study of coalition formation has been approached from two different theoretical perspectives, and this has created a division in the literature on coalitions. There have of course been attempts to bridge the gap between these two traditions, but so far without success. This PhD-project is an attempt to bring the game theoretic coalition theory closer to coalition formation in the real world, by studying coalition formation in Swedish local government. The study aims at contributing to the explanation and understanding of coalition formation. The study also aims at contributing to the tradition of Swedish local government research, where coalition formation has not been in focus.