Political Parties and the Democratic Process. Comparative Perspectives

Abstract

Party politics is under pressure globally. Europe is no exception. Political parties are struggling to establish or maintain stable connections with society. Party membership is eroding and voters are becoming ever more volatile. Parties are attempting to counter these trends by opening up their organizations and increasing participatory opportunities, by engaging in more direct campaigning or by choosing in more confrontational opposition strategies. Another direction party adaptation might take is to centralize power at the top. This panel looks at these aspects of democratic linkage taking a comparative perspective and using a variety of methodical approaches including organizational analysis, survey analysis and the analysis of communicative behaviour.

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