Party competition and political representation in crisis : a comparative perspective

The aim of the special issue is to investigate through a comparative lens the impact of the recent economic crisis and consequent austerity measures on party competition and political representation in Europe. All six contributions focus on the substance of political conflict and provide new insights about the impact of the crisis on (a) the policy agendas of political parties, (b) the relationship between government and opposition parties, and (c) how citizens’ preferences are represented by political parties. Theoretically, the contributions link the literatures on party competition, responsiveness, agenda-setting, and social movements. Empirically, they provide new empirical material, in particular on the countries in Southern Europe which were hard hit by the crisis. The introduction presents the rationale of the special issue and summarizes the focus and findings of the six contributions.ERC POLCON project funded.-- Party competition and political representation in crisis: An introductory note (Nicolò Conti, Swen Hutter and Kyriaki Nanou) -- Old versus new politics: The political spaces in Southern Europe in times of crises (Swen Hutter, Hanspeter Kriesi and Guillem Vidal) -- The missing left? Economic crisis and the programmatic response of social democratic parties in Europe (Bjorn Bremer) -- The political contestation of European integration in southern Europe: Friction among and within parties (Giorgos Charalambous, Nicolò Conti and Andrea Pedrazzani) -- Economic crisis and party responsiveness on the left–right dimension in the European Union (Ben Clements, Kyriaki Nanou and José Real-Dato) -- From agenda setters to agenda takers? The determinants of party issue attention in times of crisis (Enrico Borghetto and Federico Russo) -- Disclaiming national representatives: Protest waves in Southern Europe during the crisis (Argyrios Altiparmakis and Jasmine Lorenzini) -- Book reviews -- The Europeanization of Politics: The Formation of a European Electorate and Party System in Historical Perspective (Daniele Caramani, reviewed by Lorenzo De Sio) -- Party Discipline in the U.S. House of Representatives (Kathryn Pearson, reviewed by Daniel J Palazzolo) -- Party System Institutionalization in Asia: Democracies, Autocracies, and the Shadows of the Past (Allen Hicken and Erik Martinez Kuhonta (eds), reviewed by Olli Hellmann) -- After the Mass Party: Continuity and Change in Political Parties and Representation in Norway (Elin Haugsgjerd Allern, Knut Heidar and Rune Karlsen, reviewed by Hilmar Mjelde) -- Militant Democracy: Undemocratic Political Parties and Beyond (Svetlana Tyulkina, reviewed by Joanna Rak