Political Parties and Interest Groups in Norway

Political parties are expected to serve as agencies of interest aggregation, but in this important book Elin Haugsgjerd Allern shows that even in Norway, always viewed as one of the world’s strongest democracies, the links between parties and interest groups are fraying. Theoretically and empirically strong, Political Parties and Interest Groups in Norway successfully tackles a key question for all those interested in parties, groups, and the fate of democratic government. -- Kay Lawson, San Francisco State University

Given that so much of our thinking about political parties revolves around their social anchorage it is surprising how little we actually know about the way parties link to society. This landmark study by Elin Haugsgjerd Allern on the relationship between parties and interest groups in Norway represents an important step toward filling this lacuna in our knowledge – empirically and methodologically. It reminds us that empirical reality is far more diverse than general theories make us believe. Norwegian parties maintain diverse and multifaceted links to societal organizations, and they differ substantially. -- Thomas Poguntke, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf

This timely book provides a valuable theoretical and empirical examination of the changing relationships between political parties and different types of interest groups. The book’s investigation of experiences in Norway illuminates developments in a country with traditionally tight party-interest group links. The methods and framework developed in this study should be of interest to all scholars who are concerned with tracing the evolving links between political parties and society. -- Susan Scarrow, University of Houston

This book is the most comprehensive study of linkages between political parties and interest groups in Norway. But it is also more than that. The empirical analysis is embedded in the political science literature on theoretical perspectives and comparative empirical analysis on democracy, parties and interest groups. Together with the study's methodology, this book is therefore highly relevant to the study party-interest group relationships generally. -- Lars Svåsand, University of Bergen

Elin Haugsgjerd Allern is postdoctoral fellow in political science at the University of Oslo, Norway. Previously she was senior research fellow at the Institute for Social Research, Oslo. Her research interests include party organisations, the relationship between parties and interest groups, and political parties and multi-level government. Allern's doctoral thesis was shortlisted for the ECPR's Jean Blondel PhD Prize 2008. Her work has appeared in several journals and edited volumes, including Acta Politica, European Journal of Political Research, West European Politics, and Political Parties and Democracy: Europe .