Regionalist Parties in National Institutions

Abstract

The goal of this panel is to explore the behavior and effects of regionalist parties in national institutions. Regionalist parties are defined as those that seek to represent the interests of a territorially-defined group that is a minority within the existing state and that advocate some degree of group autonomy ranging from the granting of particular rights to the territorially-defined group to outright independence from the state. The political parties’ literature that focuses on polities with strong territorial cleavages has taught us much about the strategies and behaviors of national parties at different or multiple levels of state governance and about regional parties in the subnational context. However, we know much less in comparative perspective about the strategies and behaviors of regionalist parties in national institutions and their effects on national governance. While papers that illuminate the choice to pursue national office are welcome, we are particularly interested in papers that explore the behavior of regionalist parties in the national institutions and the effect of national office on regionalist parties (e.g. ideological changes, moderation or radicalization of demands, electoral support, etc.) and on national governance. Regarding the latter, regionalist parties, for example, may face the strategic choice of whether to enter or externally support a national government. This is a complex choice. On the one hand, regionalist parties reach out to potential supporters on the basis of particularistic regional, nationalist or ethnic appeals. On the other hand, in order to further their goals they may need to be implicated in statewide policy making or governance. If regional parties are implicated in national governance, what are the effects? We are open with regard to methodological approach, welcoming case studies that are placed in comparative perspective, small- and large-N analyses.

Title	Details
The Lega Nord: From Regional Protest to National Government	View Paper Details
The Consequences of CiU Sovereignism	View Paper Details
From Opposition to Permanent Governmental Participation and a Dual Strategy of an Ethnic Tribune Party – The Transformation of the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (DAHR)	View Paper Details
Regionalist Parties in Government and Ideology Change in Belgium	View Paper Details
Collaboration with National Parties as a Prerequisite for Actual Political Representation: The Case of the SVP in the Italian Parliament	View Paper Details