Institutionalizing Party Systems in Multiethnic States: Integration and Ethnic Segmentation in Czechoslovakia, 1918-1992

Slavic Review ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Skalnik Leff ◽  
Susan B. Mikula
Keyword(s):  
Party System ◽  
Ethnic Politics ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Institutional Setting ◽  
Federal State ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Institutional Rules ◽  
Political Resources ◽  
Multiethnic States

A country’s multinational diversity does not by itself predict the way this diversity will be reflected in the party system. The pattern of party politics also depends on the context: electoral and institutional rules, differential political assets, and different incentives to cooperate or dissent. To demonstrate variations in the dynamics of ethnic politics, this article examines the divergent ways in which Slovak political parties were organized within the larger political system in two periods—the interwar unitary Czechoslovak state and the postcommunist federal state. Differences in political resources and institutional setting help explain why interwar Slovakia had a hybrid party system composed of both statewide and ethnoregional parties, while the postcommunist state saw the emergence of two entirely separate party systems in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. In turn, differing patterns of party politics in these two cases had different consequences for the management of ethnonational conflict in the state.

Currently Functioning European Party Systems

2021 ◽  
pp. 52-82
Author(s):  
Fernando Casal Bértoa ◽  
Zsolt Enyedi
Keyword(s):  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
System Type ◽  
History Of

This chapter presents the profile and the condensed history of the 41 currently functioning party systems. Here we discuss the dynamics of the changes, and relate them to the ideological configurations and alliance structures. We show that the changes in closure figures indicate well the transformations of party politics, we link developments in the governmental arena to the conflicts in the party system in general, and we associate each party system with a specific trajectory of closure development and a specific party system type. We show how the plurality of currently functioning party systems fit into a bipolar configuration that puts them on track towards a robust path of continuous stabilization until reaching full systemic institutionalization.

Historical (i.e. Defunct) European Party Systems

2021 ◽  
pp. 86-105
Author(s):  
Fernando Casal Bértoa ◽  
Zsolt Enyedi
Keyword(s):  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
System Type ◽  
History Of ◽  
High Level

The fourth chapter presents the profile and the condensed history of the 21 historical party systems that ceased to be democratic. Here we discuss the dynamics of the changes, and relate them to the ideological configurations and alliance structures. We show that the changes in closure figures indicate well the transformations of party politics, we link developments in the governmental arena to the conflicts in the party system in general, and we associate each party system with a specific trajectory of closure development and a specific party system type. We show how, in clear contrast to currently functioning European party systems, the plurality of historical party systems fit into a multi-polar configuration that impeded them from reaching higher levels of systemic stability. Tellingly, we find no instances of consistent growth and high-level stabilization or grand coalitions. Two-party and two-plus-one party systems, so common in currently functioning party systems, were also extremely rare among the collapsed systems.

Institutionalization and De-institutionalization in Post-communist Party Systems

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 422-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsolt Enyedi ◽  
Fernando Casal Bértoa
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
The West ◽  
Electoral Volatility ◽  
Lively Debate ◽  
East West

This article is part of the special cluster titled Parties and Democratic Linkage in Post-Communist Europe, guest edited by Lori Thorlakson, and will be published in the August 2018 issue of EEPS In an article written in 1995 titled “What Is Different about Postcommunist Party Systems?” Peter Mair applied the method that he called “ ex adverso extrapolation.” He matched his knowledge of the process of consolidation of party systems in the West with what was known at that time about Eastern European history, society, and the emerging post-communist party politics. Considering factors such as the existence of fluid social structures, the weakness of civil society, or the destabilizing impact of the so-called triple transition, his article predicted long-term instability for the region. In the present article, we evaluate the validity of Mair’s predictions, thereby also contributing to a lively debate in the current literature about the scale and nature of East–West differences and about the trajectories of the two regions. Going beyond the identification of cross-regional similarities and differences, we also differentiate between individual party systems, establish subgroups, and describe changes across time. Using four major dimensions (i.e., party system closure, party-level stability, electoral volatility, and fragmentation), the article finds that Mair’s predictions were largely, though not in every detail, right. Ironically, however, we also find that changes in the West tend to match over time the trajectory of the East.

scholarly journals Converging party systems in Russia and Central Asia: A case of authoritarian norm diffusion?

2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 147-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean P. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Norm Diffusion ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
Central Asian ◽  
Central Asian Republics

Almost twenty five years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia and several Central Asian republics appear to be converging on what may be termed a ‘hierarchic party system’, characterised by controlled and unequal competition between parties. Addressing the juncture between international politics and party politics, this article explores this convergence and considers Russian authoritarian norm diffusion as a possible explanation. This article argues that although Russia continues to build significant party-based linkage in Central Asia, similarities between party systems are the result of complex, multidirectional norm diffusion, as regimes look to liberalise or close their respective political systems.

Post-Communist Politics: On the Divergence (and/or Convergence) of East and West

2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 398-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Casal Bértoa
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
East European ◽  
Collapse Of Communism ◽  
East And West ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Partisan Competition

Adopting Ionescu's qualitative approach to political science, and building on Sartori's definition of party system, this article examines the degree to which European (both East and West) party systems have developed since the collapse of communism in 1990 in all three major areas of partisan competition: parliamentary, governmental and electoral. In this context, this article constitutes, paraphrasing Sartori (1969), an attempt to go ‘from political sociology to the sociology of politics and back’. The main conclusion is that, although two decades have passed, East European party politics continues to be generally characterized by instability and unpredictability at all levels.

scholarly journals Differential Illiberalism: Classifying Illiberal Trends in Central European Party Politics

2020 ◽  
pp. 111-136
Author(s):  
Vratislav Havlík ◽  
Vít Hloušek
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Central European ◽  
The Difference

Abstract This chapter explores illiberal trends in the party systems of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Focusing on ANO, SMER, Fidesz and PiS, it first provides a comparative analysis of the ideology these parties use to appeal to the voters. Secondly, it traces the parties in power and analyses how they are translating the illiberal political concepts into laws and policy-making practices. The overarching aim is to understand the relevance that rule of law and legal issues have for the self-positioning vis-à-vis the national public and EU. Based on comparison and the empirical findings, it provides a typology of Central European illiberalism based on the difference between pragmatic and ideological illiberalism.

Party systems in the UK

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-44
Author(s):  
Paul Webb ◽  
Tim Bale
Keyword(s):  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Detailed Account ◽  
Minor Parties ◽  
Consensus Models ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Local Levels ◽  
Models Of Democracy

The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of contemporary party systems in the UK by way of context for the detailed account of party politics in the chapters which follow. It starts by defining the term ‘party system’ before highlighting the difference between party systems under majoritarian and consensus models of democracy and considering various ways of classifying party systems. It then surveys the varieties of party system found at Westminster, devolved, and local levels. It argues that the classic two-party system label now obscures as much as it reveals. If it does still apply, then it is mainly at the level of Westminster politics; even there, however, the minor parties have become more relevant in both the electoral and legislative arenas—and even, on occasion, in the executive arena.

Плинність партійних систему посткомуністичних країнах (1992−2019)

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-95
Author(s):  
Witalij Lebediuk
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Parliamentary Elections ◽  
Baltic Countries ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
Communist Countries

The paper offers a thorough analysis of the main types of party systems and their changes in the post-Soviet countries between 1992 and 2019. The evolution of the main criteria concerning the party systems classification has been analyzed. We use a database of all parliamentary elections which took place in the post-communist countries since 1992. This article concludes that the majority of party systems of the post-Soviet countries are not stable and suffering permanent changes. On this basis, 16 party systems that continue to exist in the post-communist countries from 1992 to 2019 are almost half-assigned to the predominant party types. Our findings indicate that Kyrgyzstan and Moldova have moved from a predominant party type to a multiparty type. Russia, Armenia, and Ukraine have changed their party systems from a multiparty type to a predominant party type. Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan remain in the predominant party system since the first elections. Slovakia, the Czech Republic and the Baltic countries have remained in the multiparty types since the first elections.

Comparing Indonesia's party systems of the 1950s and the post-Suharto era: From centrifugal to centripetal inter-party competition

2008 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 431-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Mietzner
Keyword(s):  
Political System ◽  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
Fundamental Difference ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
The Political ◽  
Democratic System ◽  
The 1950S

AbstractThis article compares Indonesia's party systems of the 1950s and the post-Suharto period. It explores the question of why the party system of the 1950s collapsed quickly, while that of the contemporary polity appears stable. Challenging established assumptions that party systems fail if their individual parties are weakly institutionalised, I submit that the fundamental difference between the party politics of the 1950s and today's democratic system is related to the character of inter-party competition in both periods. While inter-party contestation in the 1950s took place at the far ends of the politico-ideological spectrum, the competition between parties in the contemporary democracy exhibits centripetal tendencies, stabilising the political system as a whole.

Cleavages in the Contemporary Czech and Slovak Politics Between Persistence and Change

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 518-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vít Hloušek ◽  
Lubomír Kopeček
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Political Development ◽  
Political Competition ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Slovak Politics

This study describes and compares Czech and Slovak party politics after 1989. The concept of cleavages is used as a theoretical starting point. The authors point out that although the communist period overshadowed the traditional cleavages dating from the second half of the nineteenth century, it is possible to analyze some politically-based cleavages in the respective party arrangements of the two countries. The main conclusion of the article is as follows: that despite differing trajectories of political development during the 1990s, at the present time, both the Czech and Slovak party systems show great similarities in terms of the prevalence of the socioeconomic cleavage. Socioeconomic cleavage emerged quite early after 1989 in the Czech Republic; in Slovakia the socioeconomic cleavage has become dominant only in recent years. This has contributed to the stabilization of the classic left-right model of political competition and the consolidation of the two countries' party systems.

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