Party Development in Comparative Federalism. Insights From and Limits to the European Union

Federations vary in the extent to which parties serve an integrative and stabilising function. This article first compares the European Union and federations and assesses the vertical and horizontal integrative capacity of parties in the European Union party system. The comparison seeks to identify institutional settings that facilitate forms of vertical and horizontal cooperation. Second, I comparatively assess the dynamics of development or decay of integrative linkages over time, focusing on the locations and mechanisms of these linkages, as well as whether the motivations for change (the underlying problems and evolutionary ends) are similar in the EU as in federations. Finally, this chapter identifies the limits of the federal comparison for the European Union party system. To what extent is the federal comparison valid and useful? In what ways does the European Union not fit a federal framework for analyzing parties and party systems?