POLI 328 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Statistical Model, Party System, Political Opportunity

• School: McGill University
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLI 328
• Professor: Sven- Oliver Proksch

Document Summary

Visible consequences of immigration on structure of european party system: emergence and stabilization of radical right parties, growth of parties with a strong anti-immigrant discourse. From radical right perspective: new patterns of realignment able to shape european party systems, challenge to freezing hypothesis (lipset and rokkan) Political opportunity structure: defined as a configuration of resources, institutional arrangements, and historical precedents, under which conditions do center right parties successfully compete on the immigration issue? (special perspective) Important role of moderate center-right parties in absorbing the effect of the immigration issue. Correlation of issue dimensions as a crucial determinant of mainstream party success. Individual and systemic determinants of radical right success. Usually hypothesized factors: unemployment growth, economic crises, immigration inflows, ideological convergence of mainstream parties, the generosity of the welfare state, and the proportionality of the electoral system. Configuration of economic (state vs. market) and cultural (libertarian-authoritarian) dimensions of competition: dimensionality of the party system.