scholarly journals Catholicism and European Politics: Introducing Contemporary Dynamics

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 271
Author(s):  
Michael Daniel Driessen
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
European Politics ◽  
Political Environment ◽  
Political Catholicism ◽  
Political Entrepreneurs

Recent research on political Catholicism in Europe has sought to theorize the ways in which Catholic politics, including Catholic political parties, political ideals, and political entrepreneurs, have survived and navigated in a post-secular political environment [...]

Antiestablishment Rhetoric

2020 ◽  
pp. 141-178
Author(s):  
Catherine E. De Vries ◽  
Sara B. Hobolt
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Change ◽  
The Political ◽  
General Argument ◽  
Party Strategy ◽  
Core Feature ◽  
Political Entrepreneurs

This chapter studies antiestablishment rhetoric. Antiestablishment rhetoric is not only used by many political entrepreneurs to paint themselves as outsiders, but is also a core feature of populism. Populist parties aim to distinguish themselves from the political mainstream not only by advocating anti-immigration or anti-EU stances, but also by attacking the mainstream political parties. Yet the chapter shows that antiestablishment rhetoric is a strategy used not only by populist parties, but by other political parties as well. It then situates the use of antiestablishment rhetoric in the book's more general argument about party strategy and its theory of political change. Antiestablishment rhetoric by political parties is predominantly aimed at attacking the competence of competitors, and is especially used by challenger parties.

Social Origin Is No Destiny: Background, Institutionalization, and Electoral Performance of New Political Parties in Slovakia

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 637-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Rybář ◽  
Peter Spáč
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Social Origin ◽  
Electoral Support ◽  
European Democracy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Political Entrepreneur ◽  
Party Institutionalization ◽  
Political Entrepreneurs ◽  
Electoral Performance

The existing research suggests that socially rooted new political parties are more likely to be reelected to parliaments than parties emerging without links to preexisting social groups. It is argued that the two groups face different prospects of institutionalization: Rooted parties are more viable because their links to preexisting societal groups contribute to a higher sustainability of their electoral support and stronger institutionalization. We assess the link between the origin of parties, their level of institutionalization, and their electoral performance in the context of Slovakia, a new Eastern European democracy. We add to the existing state of knowledge in three ways. First, we empirically assess the link between the social origin of parties and their level of institutionalization. We also provide rich empirical material on the intraparty processes resulting in various levels of institutionalization. Subsequently, we assess whether rooted parties record better electoral performance than political entrepreneur parties. Second, we provide some illustration of the fact that agential factors, especially the decisions and activities related to leadership contestation, directly impact both party institutionalization and electoral performance. Third, we show that developing the links to a sociostructurally well-defined electorate may be a viable strategy to secure a parliamentary relevance for a prolonged period of time for some political entrepreneurs. Our findings suggest that parties with different levels of institutionalization are able to secure reelection, and that their electoral performance is not directly linked to their social origins.

Party Patronage in Contemporary Europe

2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Kopecký ◽  
Gerardo Scherlis
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
European Countries ◽  
European Politics ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
Relevant Feature ◽  
The Past ◽  
Recent Developments

Party patronage is generally associated with social, economic and political underdevelopment, and is hence seen as largely irrelevant in the context of contemporary European politics. In this article, we argue to the contrary, proposing that patronage reappears on the stage of European politics as a critical organizational and governmental resource employed by political parties to enhance their standing as semi-state agencies of government. In order to illustrate our main contention, we first define party patronage, disentangling it from other notions of political particularism that are often used synonymously in the literature. Second, we provide a brief overview of the literature on the past and present of patronage practices in Europe, arguing that rather than declining, patronage is still likely to be a relevant feature of contemporary party politics in Europe. Finally, we analyse the role of party patronage in the light of recent developments in several European countries, identifying three distinct patterns of patronage practices in the region.

The Effect of the Environment on Party Identification

1986 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 1391-1400 ◽  
Author(s):  
G J G Upton ◽  
S J Stray
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Party Identification ◽  
Political Environment ◽  
Election Study ◽  
The Impact

A major factor underlying a person's voting decision is that person's identification with one or other of the competing political parties. Respondents interviewed in the course of the British Election Study surveys of 1974 and 1979 indicated both their party identification and the strength of that affiliation. This paper is an examination of the impact of the local political environment on the strength of an individual's party identification.

scholarly journals Networks of Foundations as Norm Entrepreneurs: Between Politics and Policies in EU Decision-making

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorota Dakowska
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Communication Policy ◽  
European Institutions ◽  
Network Building ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
European Development ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Political Foundations ◽  
Political Entrepreneurs

AbstractThe European Commission has taken significant steps towards the recognition of political party foundations at EU level. Firstly, it has agreed to recognize them as actors of European development policies. Secondly, it has proposed the creation of political foundations at EU level, linked to the European political parties. This article analyses the reasons, modalities and potential impact of this process, which signifies a breakthrough in comparison with the Commission's previous attitude towards party affiliated organisations. For the foundations, network-building turns out to have been a crucial means to attain legitimacy and access to the European institutions: firstly, through the mobilisation of political entrepreneurs in the European Parliament lobbying the Commission and Council representatives; and secondly, by linking the future role of non-state actors such as political foundations to the reconsideration of the EU's communication policy.

The Adaptation of the FSLN: Daniel Ortega's Leadership and Democracy in Nicaragua

2010 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 79-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvador Martí i Puig
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Environment

AbstractThis article explores the capacity of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) to adapt to a changing Nicaraguan political environment over the last three decades. It focuses on the FSLN's transformation from the 1980s until its recent return to power. The analysis uses the tools offered by studies on the transformation and adaptation of political parties in adverse contexts. It concentrates on the four key stages of the FSLN's transformation: the 1980s, the five-year period following the FSLN's defeat in the elections (1990–1995), the following decade in opposition (1996–2006), and the return to government. The key elements of the FSLN's adaptation relate to the centralization of party resources around the undisputed leadership of Daniel Ortega.

Electoral Laws and Monitoring of Campaign Financing during the 2015 Presidential Election in Nigeria

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 614-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHIKODIRI NWANGWU ◽  
OLIHE ADAEZE ONONOGBU
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Marxist Theory ◽  
Colonial State ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Electoral Laws ◽  
Vested Interests ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Political Entrepreneurs ◽  
Campaign Financing

AbstractThe emergence of politicians with overwhelming financial muscle in Nigeria since 1990s has complicated the relationship between money and politics in the country. This has been intensified by lack of clear legislation on how political parties should seek funding for their campaigns. Although effective supervision of political parties’ finance is critical to the survival and consolidation of any democracy, the relevant electoral laws in Nigeria have not been effectively enforced. This is evident in the unbridled deployment of financial and other material resources by moneyed politicians and corporations during party campaign fundraising and electioneering. Among other things, this paper investigated the interface between the electoral laws and monitoring of campaign financing during the 2015 Presidential Election in Nigeria. The study is a documentary research and data were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive method. Utilizing the Marxist theory of the post-colonial state, the paper established that the electoral laws are generally couched ambiguously by politicians with vested interests in order to weaken the enforcement capacity of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as well as facilitate the advancement of the electoral interests of the ‘political entrepreneurs’. Thus, the unbundling of the Commission is recommended as a sine qua non for effective monitoring and supervision of political parties in the country.

Navigating Politics

2021 ◽  
pp. 178-210
Author(s):  
Milena B. Methodieva
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Political Context ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Political Environment ◽  
National Assembly ◽  
Electoral Democracy

One of the most important goals was to encourage Muslims to participate in politics in the name of higher patriotic ideals. The Bulgarian political context presented opportunities and obstacles. Bulgaria was a parliamentary electoral democracy and Muslims became involved in political life from the very beginning. Although some Bulgarians were skeptical about Muslims participation in elections and the national assembly, Bulgarian political parties routinely courted Muslim votes. Certain prominent reformist figures argued for the establishment of a Muslim political party which would be the only proper advocate of Muslim interests, however, such ambitions were not realized. At the same time, reformers contested the position of the established Muslim leadership resorting to common tactics popular in the local political environment. The chapter looks at some of the major campaigns launched by Muslim reformers, as well as the actions of their Muslim adversaries.

Foundations of European Politics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine E. De Vries ◽  
Sara B. Hobolt ◽  
Sven-Oliver Proksch ◽  
Jonathan B. Slapin
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Direct Democracy ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
Democratic Politics ◽  
European Politics ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Multilevel Politics ◽  
Voting Decisions

Foundations of European Politics introduces important tools of social science and comparative analysis. The first part of the book acts as an introduction to the topic, looking at democratic politics and multilevel politics in Europe. The second part moves on to citizens and voters, considering issues related to ideology and voting decisions. Part III looks at elections and introduces electoral systems and direct democracy, representation, political parties, and party competition. The next part is about government and policy. The last part looks at the rule of law, democracy, and backsliding.

Swords into plowshares: The organizational transformation of rebel groups into political parties

2011 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Ishiyama ◽  
Anna Batta
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Organizational Transformation ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
New Democracies ◽  
Political Environment ◽  
Rebel Groups ◽  
Party Transformation ◽  
Rebel Group

How do the features of a rebel group and the external political environment interact to affect the internal dynamics within a rebel group after it transforms into a political party? In this paper we combine literature on organizational change in parties in new democracies with the emerging literature on rebel group-to-party transformation, to develop a framework by which to understand these dynamics. Using the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) as a case study, we find that the legacies of the conflict, the organizational legacies of the rebel group, and the post civil war incentives for electoral gain, create political cleavages within parties that generate considerable organizational centripetal pressures, pressures that will need to be accommodated in new party organizational structures.

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