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: Paperback / softback
Length: 244 pages
Publication date: 20 April 2023
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 book conducts a comparative study of 20 countries across three key arenas of party competition: electoral, parliamentary, and governmental. Through this empirical examination, it emerges that the level of institutionalization in Western European party systems has experienced a significant decline over the past decade, contrasting sharply with previous decades. Electoral, parliamentary, and, in certain cases, governmental instability and unpredictability have reached unprecedented heights. While the impact of the 2008 Great Recession played a catalytic role, it is evident that the process of de-institutionalization has been primarily driven by long-term factors, including the decline in cleavage and the length of democratic experience. Moreover, 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 diminishes, and even the fundamental democratic standards are at risk of erosion. In essence, Western Europe, once regarded as a bastion of stability and the cradle of democracy, has transformed into a region characterized by party system deinstitutionalization and the potential for democratic backsliding.

Weight: 358g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030979805
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022