POLI 212 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Ronald Inglehart, Cas Mudde, Anthony Downs
17 May 2018
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POLI 212 - Lecture 12
02/28/2018
Topic 5: Parties
● Reasons Behind Dealignment: Demand Side
○ Voters become less loyal
■ Economic growth makes class lines fade
■ Cultural shifts (e.g. secularization) and generational change remove old
allegiances
■ Voters sick of traditional “catch-all” parties
○ Voters become interested in new issues
■ Old battles have been fought and won
■ Environment, post-materialism (see: Ronald Inglehart)
■ Multiculturalism, immigration (see: Cas Mudde)
● Reasons Behind Dealignment: Supply Side
○ Parties move to meet the ‘median voter’
■ … if this is where they are (see: Anthony Downs)
■ ‘Catch-all’ parties more pragmatic than programmatic
○ New political parties emerge
■ Attract dissatisfied voters upset about traditional parties
■ Always the same parties in power or in coalition
■ Main parties interchangeable, no distinct message
■ Traditional parties unable to address new political issues adequately
● Traditional Parties and Niche Issues
○ Niche issues can be co-opted by some parties in an attempt to steal votes
■ Smaller parties can have an influence on policy by forcing larger parties to
modify their positions
■ Not always successful (e.g. liberals may co-opt part of Green Party’s
agenda, but this may be at odds with some pro-business elements of the
Liberals’ agenda)
● Norris: “Radical Right”
○ What accounts for the success of far-right parties in different countries?
■ Structural explanations are not satisfying
○ Compares different strategic explanations
■ Kitschelt: existing parties all the same
■ v/d Brug: right-wing parties too mainstream
○ Electoral system rules condition how parties act
■ PR: activate and mobilize niche ideological cleavages
■ Majoritarian: adopt broader, populist strategies
● Table: Ideological and Partisan Attitudes and the Radical Right Vote
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Document Summary
Cultural shifts (e. g. secularization) and generational change remove old allegiances. Old battles have been fought and won. Parties move to meet the median voter". If this is where they are (see: anthony downs) Attract dissatisfied voters upset about traditional parties. Always the same parties in power or in coalition. Traditional parties unable to address new political issues adequately. Niche issues can be co-opted by some parties in an attempt to steal votes. Smaller parties can have an influence on policy by forcing larger parties to modify their positions. Not always successful (e. g. liberals may co-opt part of green party"s agenda, but this may be at odds with some pro-business elements of the. Electoral system rules condition how parties act. Pr: activate and mobilize niche ideological cleavages. Table: ideological and partisan attitudes and the radical right vote. Enduring questions in the study of parties. Declining party identification and smaller membership base.
