Introduction
Caroline Close and Emilie van Haute
Part I: Case studies
Chapter 1: The Norwegian Left and the Finnish Centre: What, no capital ‘L’ liberal parties?
David Arter
Chapter 2: The Danish Liberal Parties
Karina Kosiara-Pedersen
Chapter 3: The Centre Party and the Liberals: The Swedish members of the liberal party family?
Niklas Bolin
Chapter 4: Liberalism in the Netherlands: The VVD and D66
Gerrit Voerman
Chapter 5: Belgian Liberals: Living apart together...
Vivien Sierens
Chapter 6: Diversity, unity, and beyond: The Swiss Liberals
Oscar Mazzoleni
Chapter 7: Liberal parties in Austria
Laurenz Ennser-Jedenastik and Anita Bodlos
Chapter 8: It’s (not only) the economy, stupid?: Past and future of the German Liberal Party
Sebastian U. Bukow
Chapter 9: The UK Liberal Democrats: Liberalism at a crossroads
Alan Wager and Tim Bale
Chapter 10: Fianna Fáil: In the Liberals but not of the Liberals
Conor Little and David M. Farrell
Chapter 11: Nuanced liberalism: The weakness of liberal parties in Spain
Lidia Núñez
Chapter 12: Liberal parties in Central and Eastern Europe: Between success and failure
Blagovesta Cholova and Jean-Michel De Waele
Chapter 13: Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia
Daunis Auers
Chapter 14: The Liberals in Europe: The alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Wouter Wolfs and Steven Van Hecke
Part II: Comparative perspective on liberal parties in Europe
Chapter 15: Liberal parties and elections: Electoral performances and voters' profiles
Caroline Close and Pascal Delwit
Chapter 16: Governmental participation and alliances of liberal parties in Europe
Johan Hellström and Daniel Walther
Chapter 17: The liberal party family ideology: Distinct, but diverse
Caroline Close
Chapter 18: How liberal parties organise
Stefanie Beyens, Emilie van Haute, and Tom Verthé
Liberal parties in Europe: Conclusion
Caroline Close and Emilie van Haute
Biography
Caroline Close is an Assistant Professor at SciencePo ULB, Centre d’étude de la vie politique (Cevipol), Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Her main research interests are party organization, intraparty politics, party ideology, legislative studies, elections, and democratic innovations.
Emilie van Haute is an Associate Professor and Chair of SciencePo ULB and conducts her research at Centre d’étude de la vie politique (Cevipol), Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). Her main research interests include party membership, intra-party dynamics, participation, elections, and voting behaviour.
‘In a period of high party system volatility, this timely book focuses on a group of parties that includes some of Europe’s oldest electoral competitors. Its chapters present useful profiles and comparisons of meaning and endurance of party family labels.’
— Susan E. Scarrow, University of Houston
‘With detailed case studies of the history, ideology, organization, electoral performance, and governmental participation of liberal parties in 20 European countries, plus at the EU level, this volume provides a most useful resource for students of party politics. In addition, the concluding comparative chapters provide the necessary analysis to consider whether there truly is a liberal party ‘family’ and the features that unite and distinguish these parties from their competitors.’
— William Cross, Carleton University
