Abstract

The study of how party systems are structured across territorial lines is a crucial research topic for political scientists, and one fraught with consequences for the political system and the democratic process. Cleavages, Institutions and Competition addresses this topic and raises the following questions: How has vote nationalisation evolved in Western Europe during the past fifty years, and which factors account for its variation across Western European party systems? This book answers these questions through a macro-comparative perspective and an original empirical research based on 230 parliamentary elections in 16 countries between 1965 and 2015. The result is a far-reaching understanding of the constellation of factors involved in the process of vote nationalisation, including macro-sociological, institutional and competition determinants.
This in-depth analysis of vote nationalization in the Western European democracies provides a much needed clarification of the concept and a comprehensive and systematic explanation of its patterns of variation. In this regard, it makes significant theoretical and empirical contributions and will be a precious source for anyone involved in the study of elections, parties and party systems.
Alessandro Chiaramonte, Professor of Political Science, University of Florence
Vincenzo Emanuele is Post-doctoral Fellow in Political Science and Adjunct Professor of Italian Political System at LUISS Guido Carli in Rome.
In a time where party changes on different levels and the emergence of new parties are characterizing European politics, the author analyses and explains the territorial structuring of party support in Western Europe over the last fifty years, thanks to a rich and original dataset. The result is this book that any scholar, student, and practitioner of contemporary politics should read and ponder carefully.
Leonardo Morlino, Former President, International Political Science Association (IPSA)