This paper argues that the state is relevant for explaining differences in the dynamics of
West European parties and party systems, presenting a comprehensive framework …

Party systems are central to the functioning of modern representative democracies. It is
scarcely exaggerated to say that no aspect of contemporary politics is uninfluenced by them …

Until the end of the 1980s most party systems were stable and reflected the structures of the
pre-war period. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall there have been many forms of party system …

This book is written for several different readerships. First, it is for scholars working on party
system change, electoral studies and political representation. Second, it is aimed at both …

Untitled Page 1 Page 2 UNDERSTANDING PARTY SYSTEM CHANGE IN WESTERN
EUROPE Edited by PETERMAIR and GORDON SMITH FRANKCASS Page 3 First published in …

After two decades of parliamentary democracy, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe
(CEE) have quite different records of government stability. At the same time there continues …

The stabilization of party systems in new democracies is commonly assumed to be a lengthy
process. Applying Peter Mair's government-formation-based model of party system …

Despite extensive research on party system stability, the concept is often reduced to the
survival of existing parties. This article argues for introducing programmatic stability as a …

Peter Mair rather than of kind, and hence party system change is a continuous phenomenon.
It is also a confusing phenomenon, since these particular summary measures conflate …

The recent global financial crisis has been a serious stress test for representative
democracies. Voter support has supposedly become more volatile, fragmented, and …