European Party Politics in Times of Crisis

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

Swen Hutter (Edited by), Hanspeter Kriesi (Edited by)

9781108483797, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 June 2019

444 pages, 57 b/w illus. 24 tables
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.7 cm, 0.76 kg

'This impressive volume investigates the impact of the financial crisis on the electoral and protest arenas of European countries. It stands out from similar attempts by combining meticulous analysis of media data with exceptional sensitivity to the timing of the economic crisis in relation to political developments, the strategies of political actors and the specific issues that dominated and polarised the public debates. The book documents the continuity and transformation of the political space in Europe and the increasingly divergent regional patterns. It is a must-read for anyone interested in how European parties and ordinary citizens reacted to the crisis, and how the competition between cultural, economic and political understandings of the challenges led to a new socio-political configuration on the continent.' Zsolt Enyedi, Central European University

This comprehensive study of party competition in Europe since 2008 aids understanding of the recent, often dramatic, changes taking place in European politics. It addresses how the multiple crises that Europe faces have affected the intensity and structure of party competition, and whether we are seeing a wave of 'critical elections' which will reshape European politics for years to come. The geographical scope of the book covers fifteen European countries, including cases from North-Western Europe (Austria, Britain, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland), Southern Europe (Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain), and Central-Eastern Europe (Hungary, Latvia, Poland, and Romania). Using original data from a large-scale content analysis of mass media, and the debates among parties in election campaigns, this book provides clear graphical presentations of the results, appealing to a wide readership of students, scholars, journalists, practitioners, and the politically interested public.

Part I. Theoretical Framework and Context: 1. Crises and the transformation of the national political space in Europe Hanspeter Kriesi and Swen Hutter
2. Economic and political crises: the context of critical elections Hanspeter Kriesi and Swen Hutter
3. The media content analysis and cross-validation Swen Hutter and Theresa Gessler
Part II. Country Studies: 4. Spain – out with the old: the restructuring of Spanish politics Guillem Vidal and Irene Sánchez-Vítores
5. Greece – punctuated equilibrium: the restructuring of Greek politics Argyrios Altiparmakis
6. Italy – the end of bipolarism: restructuration in an unstable party system Johannes Karremans, Giorgio Malet and Davide Morisi
7. Portugal – a tale of apparent stability and surreptitious transformation Frederico Ferreira da Silva and Mariana S. Mendes
8. Hungary – a Hungarian crisis or just a crisis in Hungary? Theresa Gessler and Anna Kyriazi
9. Poland – 'modern' versus 'normal': the increasing importance of the cultural divide Paulina Salek and Agnieszka Sztajdel
10. Romania – polity contestation and the resilience of mainstream parties Endre Borbáth
11. Latvia – an ever-wider gap: the ethnic divide in Latvian party politics Edgars Eihmanis
12. Austria, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland: old and new winning formulas of the populist radical right Jasmine Lorenzini and Mathilde van Ditmars
13. Restructuring British and German party politics in times of crisis Björn Bremer and Julia Schulte-Cloos
14. Ireland – limited restructuration in the poster child of austerity Swen Hutter and Giorgio Malet
Part III. Conclusions: 15. Diverging Europe: the political consequences of the crises in a comparative perspective Swen Hutter, Argyrios Altiparmakis and Guillem Vidal
16. Conclusion: a critical juncture for the structuration of party systems? Hanspeter Kriesi.

Subject Areas: EU & European institutions [JPSN2], Comparative politics [JPB], Politics & government [JP]