Multilevel party organisation in Brazil, Spain and the UK: measuring subnational autonomy and influence in statewide parties

This paper will compare the multilevel organisation of parties in Brazil with that of other, more often studied, European parties - in Spain and the UK - to test how explanations of multilevel party organisation travel. There are two broad types of explanation about the type of relationship between federal (statewide) and state (regional) party levels, in terms of vertical integration, autonomy and influence. Federalist explanations emphasise the model of federal system (dual or cooperative) on the articulation and distribution of competences and revenues between levels as the main variable affecting the party organisation. More neo-institutionalist explanations focus the path-dependent character of party organisation and party change. Finally, electoral considerations and coalition strategies may provide party elites with opportunities to shift the balance of power and influence between levels. This paper will test these explanations by comparing the organisation of 10 Brazilian, Spanish and British statewide parties along two dimensions: the integration and influence of regional party branches in central (national) decision-making organs, and the autonomy of these subnational branches at the regional level.