Western European party systems : continuity & change

Sponsored by the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR).This acclaimed text on comparative and Western European politics analyses the reasons for the continuity and stability of the established European party systems and describes how changes of policy and opinion have affected the appeal and electoral performance of particular parties. It examines issues such as the shifting pattern of electoral support in Europe since the second world war, the electoral advantages of incumbency, the changing fortunes of mass parties and parties of the left, the impact of regionalism on party systems and the danger of political fragmentation caused by the increasing number of parties.-- The Comparative Study of European Parties and Party Systems, H Daalder -- An Overview Changing Patterns of Electoral Volatility in European Party Systems, 1948-1977 : Explorations in Explanation, M Pedersen -- Is There Still Persistence? Electoral Change in Western Europe, 1948-1979, M Maguire -- Voting Turnout in Europe, 1945-1978 : Myths and Realities, K Dittrich, L N Johansen -- Incumbency in Government : Asset or Liability?, R Rose, Th T Mackie -- The European Left Since World War I : Size, Composition and Patterns of Electoral Development, S Bartolini -- The Membership of Mass Parties - the Social Democratic Experience, 1889-1978, S Bartolini -- Harbinger, Fossil or Fleabite? 'Regionalism' and the West European Party Mosaic, D W Urwin -- Testing the Catch-all Thesis : Some Difficulties and Possibilities, K Dittrich -- Party Competition -- Selective Emphasis or Direct Confrontation? An Alternative View with Data, I Budge, D Farlie -- Polarization, Fragmentation and Competition in Western Democracies, G Sani, G Sartori -- Governments, Parliaments, and the Structure of Power in Political Parties, K Von Beyme -- Political Change and Political Accountability : A Propositional Inventory of Causes and Effects, G Sjoblom -- Adaptation and Control : Towards an Understanding of Party and Party System Change, P Mai