This book examines whether parties’ ability to channel voter interests into political institutions has in fact declined in the wake of decline of party membership figures and the increase of state finance of parties. It first looks at relevant empirical studies to summarize what we already know. Second, it presents an in-depth study of Norwegian voters and parties, based on a number of voter, member and parliamentarian surveys conducted between 1990 and 2010. The existing literature is scarce and indecisive, whereas the Norwegian parties still seem to represent voters fairly well, despite the waning of mass parties. The party organizations—the members, activists, and representatives—continue to channel voter opinions into the Parliament. This book argues that the high and persistent policy congruence between voters and parties revealed might be related to party members and mid-level activists still resemble voters socially and politically to a large degree. At the same time, the party competition for votes is also still relatively efficient, and there appears to be some interaction in terms of what happens within party organizations and the stimuli offered by competing parties. Hence, this book challenges the “decline thesis”. It argues that parties can continue to represent, even “after the mass party”. At the same time, it suggests that the persistence of the formal representative structures and the closed candidate selection processes that you still find in Norway and elsewhere could make some parties somewhat more resistant to representative decline than others.
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This book shows that the decline of parties as membership organizations does not necessarily mean that parties have decayed as channels for representation in democracies. Possible explanations can be found in party competition for votes and in other aspects of party organizations.
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Chapter 1: Political Parties and Representative Democracy Chapter 2: Representation by Parties: An Analytical Framework Chapter 3: Parties’ Representative Capacity—What Do We Know? Chapter 4: Norwegian Parties—Prospects for Representation Chapter 5: Participation, Communication, and Influence Chapter 6: Social Representation Chapter 7: Policy Representation Chapter 8: Representative Capacity after the Mass Party
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This ambitious study examines political change in Norway to offer more general lessons on the evolution of representative democracy ‘after the mass party.’ Using an unusually rich trove of longitudinal data on Norwegian voters, MPs, conference delegates, and party members, it thoughtfully investigates how—and whether—party organizational change affects congruence between MPs and those whom they represent. This book’s lively engagement with widely-shared theoretical assumptions, and its careful empirical work, make it recommended reading for everyone with an interest in the evolution of political parties in contemporary parliamentary democracies.
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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781498516549
Publisert
2015-12-16
Utgiver
Vendor
Lexington Books
Vekt
390 gr
Høyde
234 mm
Bredde
160 mm
Dybde
16 mm
Aldersnivå
UP, P, 05, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
168

Biographical note

Elin Haugsgjerd Allern is professor of political science at the University of Oslo. Knut Heidar is professor of political science at the University of Oslo. Rune Karlsen is research professor at the Institute for Social Research in Oslo.