1st Edition
Parties and Party Systems in Liberal Democracies
First published in 1988, Parties and Party Systems in Liberal Democracies considers the extent and ways in which Western European and North American parties and party systems changed in the 1970s and 1980s after decades of relative stability. It examines changes in the nature and organisation of parties and relates this to changes in electoral behaviour and to wider social and economic change. It concentrates on political parties as actors and the ways in which they maintain themselves and respond to the moves and gambits of both established and newer parties and to the increasingly numerous and vociferous single interest pressure groups. One important argument put forward is that many social and economic changes have had a minimal impact because established parties have been able to adapt by redefining issues in their favour and have also been able to rely on residual support and access to patronage. This engaging volume will have strong appeal for courses in political science, government, political behaviour and history.
New Preface List of Tables List of Figures Notes on Contributors Preface 1. Introduction: Party Systems and How They Change Steven B. Wolinetz 2. The French Party System in the 1980s Frank L. Wilson 3. Italy: The Long Twilight of the DC Regime G. Grant Amyot 4. Party System Transformations in the Federal Republic of Germany William M. Chandler 5. The Austrian Party System: Continuity and Change Frederick C. Engelmann 6. Stability and Change in the Belgian Party System Maureen Covell 7. The Netherlands: Continuity and Change in a Fragmented Party System Steven B. Wolinetz 8. Continuity and Change in the Scandinavian Party Systems Eric S. Einhorn and John Logue 9. Continuity and Change in Britain George Breckenridge 10. Ireland: From Predominance to Competition R. K. Carty 11. The Canadian Paradox: Party System Stability in the Face of a Weakly Aligned Electorate Herman Bakvis 12. The United States: A Comparative View Steven B. Wolinetz 13. Party System Change: Past, Present and Future Steven B. Wolinetz Index
Biography
Steven B. Wolinetz
