The Deinstitutionalization of Western European Party Systems

The level of institutionalization in Western European party systems has dramatically declined over the past decade, leading to electoral, parliamentary, and governmental instability and unpredictability. This process is driven by long-term factors such as cleavage decline and length of democratic experience and has consequences for the relationship between parties and voters and the quality of democracy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 244 pages
Publication date: 19 April 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate process of party system institutionalization in Western Europe, providing a systematic and far-reaching analysis. Drawing upon a vast array of data spanning from the end of World War II to 2019, the empirical study compares 20 countries across three key arenas of party competition: electoral, parliamentary, and governmental. The results of this extensive analysis reveal a striking decline in institutionalization within Western European party systems over the past decade. Electoral, parliamentary, and, in some instances, governmental instability and unpredictability have reached unprecedented levels. While the 2008 Great Recession acted as a catalyst, it is important to note that this process of de-institutionalization has been primarily driven by long-term factors, including a decline in cleavage and the length of democratic experience. Furthermore, the consequences of this de-institutionalization extend beyond the relationship between parties and voters, impacting the very quality of democracy itself. Citizens' satisfaction with the way democracy functions and adherence to objective democratic standards are declining, indicating a potential erosion of democratic values. In essence, Western Europe, once regarded as a bastion of stability and the cradle of democracy, has transitioned into a region characterized by party system deinstitutionalization and the emergence of democratic backsliding.

Weight: 478g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030979775
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022