1st Edition

Party Change in Southern Europe

Edited By Anna Bosco, Leonardo Morlino Copyright 2007
    260 Pages
    by Routledge

    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    It has been argued that political parties are weakening. In Southern Europe, however, political parties have shown remarkable pragmatism. Not only have they played a crucial role in the installation and consolidation of democracy, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s, but they have also adapted to the aftermaths of severe political crises during the 1990s.

    Party Change in Southern Europe addresses a basic issue: Have parties in Southern Europe weakened over the decade 1995-2005? Or have they rather changed? And if so, how have they changed? To answer these questions the authors analyze the transformations undergone by the two main parties in Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Turkey and Cyprus (North and South) focusing on several dimensions of change. For each political group, systematic analysis is offered on:

    • party organization
    • electoral politics
    • competitive strategies
    • party values and programmes.

    This book was previously published as a special issue of South European Society and Politics.

    I What Changes in South European Parties? A Comparative Introduction 2 The Woes of Being in Opposition: The PSD since 1995 3 The Importance of Winnng Office: The PS and the Struggle for Power 4 If It Isn't Broken, Don't Fix It: The Spanish Popular Party in Power 5 Tuning the Page: Crisis and Transformation of the Spanish Socialist Party 6 Forza Italia: A Leader with a Party 7 The Democratici di Sinistrs: In Search of a New Identity 8 From Opposition to Power: Greek Conservatism Reinvented 9 Party Change in Greece and the Vanguard Role of PASOK 10 Party Change and Development in Cyprus (1995-2005) 11 From Political Islam to Conservative Democracy: The Case of the Justice and Development Party in Turkey 12 Old Soldiers Never Die: The Republican People's Party of Turkey

    Biography

    Anna Bosco is Associate Professor of Political Parties and Interest Groups at the University of Trieste She is Assistant Editor of South European Society & Politics. Leonardo Morlino is Professor of Political Science at the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane (Florence) and Director of the Research Centre on Southern Europe (Florence).