Combining the Best of Two Worlds: The Prevalence and Causal Factors of Pseudo-Local Lists in Flanders

Local party systems in Belgium are characterized by the presence of independent local lists. These lists participate in local elections under a non-national name, giving a distinct place-bound flavour to the local party systems. Local lists are often perceived as the counterweight for the historical nationalization tendency. However, we can assume that not all independent local lists are as independent or as local as their name suggests and instead do maintain explicit or implicit links to national parties. This article aims to contribute to a more detailed and refined understanding of the differentiated meaning of local lists in Flanders. In a first quantitative part, we will apply an innovative and contingent classification model based on the vertical and horizontal autonomy of local lists to establish the prevalence of different types of local lists in Flanders and the scope of pseudo-local phenomena. Subsequently, we will aim to reveal the rationale for the different types of pseudo-local lists. Based on a in-depth qualitative analysis of a sample of local lists we will unravel the factors influencing local list’s strategic choices concerning their position in a multi-level political context. Furthermore, the research results are related to theoretical insights on party change, allowing the elaboration of an explanatory model for local party development.