Absorbing the Blow

In sum, this book provides well-crafted historical and analytical insights on the role of populist parties in European party systems. It is an essential source for students of populism, especially for those who are interested in the consequences of populism. Its rich description of different cases makes this edited volume valuable reading for teaching populism-related, country-specific or region-specific content and the evolution of political systems in Europe. -- 'Journal of Common Market Studies'

Wolinetz and Zaslove's volume not only represents an important contribution to our understanding of the impact of populism on European party systems, but it is also a highly illustrative, up-to-date introduction to the contemporary politics of many European countries for scholars of comparative politics and populism, as well as for a broader audience, including students, policymakers and journalists. -- 'LSE Review of Books'

This is a timely book. As the editors point out in their introduction, populists are now the single most successful post-war political family. Written by renowned experts, the country chapters cover a good cross-section of relevant European party systems and show that populist parties represent one of several factors that reshape party systems. -- Thomas Poguntke, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf

This set of sophisticated case studies provides the basis for a wide-ranging comparative analysis that asks how the rise of populist parties is changing European party systems. The record shows that by reshaping the competition for votes, and the competition for government, populist parties have been the midwives of competitive processes working to transform the continent's party systems and democratic politics. -- R. Kenneth Carty, The University of British Columbia

Steven B. Wolinetz is Professor Emeritus at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. Wolinetz writes about parties and party systems, smaller democracies (especially the Netherlands and Belgium, and the European Union). His publications include Parties and Party Systems in Liberal Democracies (1988), ‘Beyond the Catch-all Party: Approaches to the Study of Parties and Party Organization in Contemporary Democracies,’ in Linz, Montero, and Gunther, The Future of Political Parties, ‘The Transformation of Western European Party Systems Revisited’ and other articles on parties and party systems. He is currently working on a book, Parties and Party Systems in the New Millennium.