Week 17 Flashcards
Party Families
What are party families?
Parties in different countries that share similar ideological preferences
What is ideology?
- A vision of the good society
- A desirable end point often different from the status quo
How to identify party families?
- Compare policy positions of individual parties on specific issues (e.g., economy, immigration or environment, etc.)
- Identify cross national links/federations (e.g., parties in the UK, US, EU, etc.)
- Look for a historical common origin of parties (e.g., religion, class, etc.)
Why do parties adopt ideologies?
- Strategic and spatial explanation
- Sociological explanation
What is the strategic and spatial explanation?
Parties position themselves ideologically to attract the most voters and increase the chances to win an election
What might prevent parties from moving away from their position?
- Credibility and reputation
- Intra-party institutional constraints
Why would credibility and reputation prevent parties from moving away from their position?
- New voters don’t believe the shift so keep voting for other parties
- Core voters lose trust if the party gives up their established position
Why would intra-party institutional constraints prevent parties from moving away from their position?
- What are the rules for policy changes?
- Activists or hardliners might block changes
- MPs joined the party under the previous ideology not the new one
Who grouped parties into ideological spiritual families?
von Beyme
What countries do von Beyme’s ideological spiritual families apply to and not apply to?
- Applicable to
Europe, Australia and New Zealand - NOT applicable to
Canada, the US or Latin America
Why do similar ideologies exist across party systems?
- Strategic and spatial explanation
- Sociological explanation
Why do similar ideologies exist across party systems according to the strategic and spatial explanation?
- Limited number of electorally attractive positions
- Across Europe, parties have filled these positions
- Sometimes they are slow to fill their positions (e.g., far-right parties)
Why do similar ideologies exist across party systems according to the sociological explanation?
- European countries have experienced similar historical juncture and social conflicts
e.g., parties formed to represent the working class like socialist parties are common to many countries - Places where historical juncture have differed parties differ from the European families
What are some types of party families?
- Socialists and social democrats
- Communists
- Green parties & the New Left
- Liberal parties
- Christian democrats
- Conservatives
- The far right
- Regional and ethnic parties
Why did socialist and social democrats form?
- Formed to represent working class when the franchise was extended (e.g., British Labour, German SPD and Greek Pasok
- Close historical ties with trade unionism
- Responsible for the establishment of the European welfare state (free or subsidised)
What are the internal tensions of the socialists and social democrats?
- Old school socialists
(big active government) - The third way
(limited government, focus on equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcomes)
What are the communists modern relevancy and historical platform?
- Few in number today and low significance (e.g., French, Italian or Greek Communist parties)
Historical platform
- Centralised government and control of the economy
- Eurocommunism
What are the contemporary characteristics of communist parties?
- More socialist than communist
- Anti-corruption platform
- Local party base is important
What are the core concerns of the New Left / Green Parties?
Mostly a 1990s new-politics phenomenon
Core concerns
- The environment
- Reduced economic development and more regulation of industry
What are the successes of the New Left / Green Parties?
- More than 10% of the vote in some countries like Belgium
- In government in some countries like Germany
- Overall politics has become greener
Agrarian parties
- Established to represent agrarian, rural-based interests
E.g. Norwegian/Swedish Centre Party or the Polish Peasants Party - Strongest in Northern Europe
- Seeking more urban appeal
What ideologies do liberal parties hold?
Centre but more varied party family
E.g. British Liberal Democrats and German FDP
Ideology
- Individualism
- Anticlericalism (opposition to religious authority)
- Economics (split): fiscal responsibility & small government vs pro-welfare state
What are the successes of liberal parties?
- More than 10% vote share in several states
- Often active in government
What are the origins and ideology of Christian democrats?
Religious historical origins
E.g. German CDU/CSU, Dutch Christian Democrats, Norwegian Christian People’s Party
Ideology
- Social concerns
- Pro-welfare
- Say they’re anti-liberal but their positions are only slightly different from liberals
- Business friendly
Where are conservative parties found and what are their ideologies?
Conservative parties are found in countries with weak Christian democratic parties
E.g. French UMP, UK Conservatives, Swedish Moderate Party
Ideology
- Pro-business
- Nationalist (e.g., French Gaullists)
- Eurosceptic (e.g. British Tories)
- Less concern for social issues
What are some examples of far right parties and how popular are they?
Examples
- French National Parties
- Austrian Freedom Party
- Dutch Party for Freedom
Popularity
- Politically marginalised in some countries.
- Are part of the government in other countries like Austria and Italy
- Increasingly popular and successful over the recent past
Regional and ethnic parties
- Typically niche parties representing religious, ethnic or linguistic minorities
- Frequently aim for autonomy or independence
Examples
- Scottish National Party
- Plaid Cymru
- Basque National Party
- Italian Northern League
