2007) ‘Partisanship During the Collapse of Venezuela’s Party

Political parties are crucial for democratic politics; thus, the growing incidence of party and party system failure raises questions about the health of representative democracy the world over. This article examines the collapse of the Venezuelan party system, arguably one of the most institutionalized party systems in Latin America, by examining the individual-level basis behind the exodus of partisans from the traditional parties. Multinomial logit analysis of partisan identification in 1998, the pivotal moment of the system’s complete col-lapse, indicates that people left the old system and began to support new parties because the traditional parties failed to incorporate and give voice to important ideas and interests in society while viable alternatives emerged to fill this void in representation. A central aspect of democracy is that citizens have a voice in decision making and influence government so that it is continually responsive to their preferences (Dahl 1971). In contemporary democracies, much of this representation occurs through the channels of political parties. Partie