Riding the Populist Wave

Riding the Populist Wave
Author: Tim Bale
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2021-08-26
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1009007114

In spite of the fact that Conservative, Christian democratic and Liberal parties continue to play a crucial role in the democratic politics and governance of every Western European country, they are rarely paid the attention they deserve. This cutting-edge comparative collection, combining qualitative case studies with large-N quantitative analysis, reveals a mainstream right squeezed by the need to adapt to both 'the silent revolution' that has seen the spread of postmaterialist, liberal and cosmopolitan values and the backlash against those values – the 'silent counter-revolution' that has brought with it the rise of a myriad far right parties offering populist and nativist answers to many of the continent's thorniest political problems. What explains why some mainstream right parties seem to be coping with that challenge better than others? And does the temptation to ride the populist wave rather than resist it ultimately pose a danger to liberal democracy?

Voters and Parties in the Spanish Political Space

Voters and Parties in the Spanish Political Space
Author: Ignacio Sánchez-Cuenca
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2016-04-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1134933266

This book deals with the structure of Spanish politics: how citizens and parties locate themselves in political space, and how these actors make decisions based on their positions in the various dimensions this space consists of. The authors of this volume address the questions surrounding the dimensions of Spanish politics, the effect of the nationalist issue (Catalonia and the Basque Country) in Spanish political competition, the reasons for which the Catalans and the Basques appear as more left-wing than the rest of Spain, the ways in which Spanish voters make their choices, the political issues that are more polarizing in Spain, the background behind why the two main parties hold such similar positions on redistribution, whether the territorial conflict has an impact on preferences for redistribution and how the immigration issue alters political competition. All of these questions rely on the spatial theory of politics for their analyses. The data used in all the chapters come from a survey that was especially designed with the aim of addressing all these topics that are examined in the book. This is the first exhaustive and rigorous explanation of how Spanish politics work based on the positions that parties and citizens occupy in the political space. This book was published as a special issue of South European Society and Politics.

Voters and Parties in the Spanish Political Space

Voters and Parties in the Spanish Political Space
Author: Ignacio Sánchez-Cuenca
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2016-04-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1134933339

This book deals with the structure of Spanish politics: how citizens and parties locate themselves in political space, and how these actors make decisions based on their positions in the various dimensions this space consists of. The authors of this volume address the questions surrounding the dimensions of Spanish politics, the effect of the nationalist issue (Catalonia and the Basque Country) in Spanish political competition, the reasons for which the Catalans and the Basques appear as more left-wing than the rest of Spain, the ways in which Spanish voters make their choices, the political issues that are more polarizing in Spain, the background behind why the two main parties hold such similar positions on redistribution, whether the territorial conflict has an impact on preferences for redistribution and how the immigration issue alters political competition. All of these questions rely on the spatial theory of politics for their analyses. The data used in all the chapters come from a survey that was especially designed with the aim of addressing all these topics that are examined in the book. This is the first exhaustive and rigorous explanation of how Spanish politics work based on the positions that parties and citizens occupy in the political space. This book was published as a special issue of South European Society and Politics.

VOX

VOX
Author: José Rama
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 174
Release: 2021-06-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000394484

This book examines VOX, the first major and electorally successful populist radical right-wing party to emerge in Spain since the death of General Franco, and the restoration of parliamentary democracy in the late 1970s. In December 2018, VOX, a new party on the populist radical right, entered the Andalusian regional parliament, and played the role of kingmaker in the ensuing government formation discussions. Since then, under the leadership of Santiago Abascal, VOX has earned political representation in numerous local, regional and national elections. The party attracted more than 3.6 million votes in the November 2019 general election, making VOX the third largest party in the Spanish Congress. In two years, the party has become a key political challenger and an important player in Spanish politics. This book explains the origins of the party, its ideology and relationship with democracy, its appeal with voters, and its similarities with (and differences from) other populist radical right parties in Europe. It draws upon a rich source of domestic as well as cross-national survey data and a systematic analysis of party manifestos which provide a detailed account of the rise of VOX and what its emergence means for Spanish politics. This volume will be of interest to scholars of comparative politics, political parties, voters and elections, Spanish politics, the populist radical right and populism in general.

American Affective Polarization in Comparative Perspective

American Affective Polarization in Comparative Perspective
Author: Noam Gidron
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 126
Release: 2020-12-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1108912249

American political observers express increasing concern about affective polarization, i.e., partisans' resentment toward political opponents. We advance debates about America's partisan divisions by comparing affective polarization in the US over the past 25 years with affective polarization in 19 other western publics. We conclude that American affective polarization is not extreme in comparative perspective, although Americans' dislike of partisan opponents has increased more rapidly since the mid-1990s than in most other Western publics. We then show that affective polarization is more intense when unemployment and inequality are high; when political elites clash over cultural issues such as immigration and national identity; and in countries with majoritarian electoral institutions. Our findings situate American partisan resentment and hostility in comparative perspective, and illuminate correlates of affective polarization that are difficult to detect when examining the American case in isolation.

European Party Politics in Times of Crisis

European Party Politics in Times of Crisis
Author: Swen Hutter
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2019-06-27
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1108483798

A study of party competition in Europe since 2008 aids understanding of the recent, often dramatic, changes taking place in European politics.

New and Alternative Social Movements in Spain

New and Alternative Social Movements in Spain
Author: John Karamichas
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 167
Release: 2015-12-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1317648471

This collection, originally published in 2007, offers a diachronic analytical study of new and alternative social movements in Spain from the democratic transition to the first decade of the 21st century, paying attention to anti-war mobilizations and the use of new technologies as a mobilizing resource. New and alternative social movements are studied through the prism of identified linkages among the left, movement identities and global processes in the Spanish context. Weight is given to certain important historical aspects, like Spain’s relatively recent authoritarian past, and certain value-added factors, such as the weak associationalism and materialism exhibited by the Spanish public. These are complemented by exploring insights offered by key theoretical approaches on social movements (political opportunities structures, resource mobilization). The volume covers established social movement cases (gender, peace, environmental movements) as well as those with a more explicit connection to the current context of global contestation (squatters’ and anti-globalization movements). This bookw as published as a special issue of South European Society and Politics.

Controlling Governments

Controlling Governments
Author: José María Maravall
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2008
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0521884101

How much influence do citizens have to control the government? What guides voters at election time? Why do governments survive? How do institutions modify the power of the people over politicians? The book combines academic analytical rigor with comparative analysis to identify how much information voters must have to select a politician for office, or for holding a government accountable; whether parties in power can help voters to control their governments; how different institutional arrangements influence voters' control; why politicians choose particular electoral systems; and what economic and social conditions may undermine not only governments, but democracy. Arguments are backed by vast macro and micro empirical evidence. There are cross-country comparisons and survey analyses of many countries. In every case there has been an attempt to integrate analytical arguments and empirical research. The goal is to shed new light on perplexing questions of positive democratic theory.

The Politics of Polarisation

The Politics of Polarisation
Author: Anna Bosco
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2022-08-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1000646467

Focusing on Italy, Spain and Greece, this book explores the extent of polarisation, as well as its causes, characteristics and consequences. It investigates varied manifestations of polarised politics including leader polarisation, policy polarisation and affective polarisation as well as providing case studies of polarised elections taking place at multiple levels. In recent years, polarisation has been a key feature of South European politics. Deep antagonism has moved party leaders against each other, hindered parliamentary and governmental cooperation, and triggered a cascade effect of harsh divisions among elites and citizens. Beyond the left-right axis, the chapters in this volume highlight multiple dimensions around which parties and voters polarise: the split around sovereign bailouts in Greece, the territorial cleavage in Spain, the divisions around immigration and European integration in Italy. This volume offers essential understanding of the specific features of polarisation in different national contexts and the consequences for political competition and government instability. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of South European Society and Politics.

Party Systems in Latin America

Party Systems in Latin America
Author: Scott Mainwaring
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 525
Release: 2018-02-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107175526

This book generates a wealth of new empirical information about Latin American party systems and contributes richly to major theoretical debates about party systems and democracy.