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FROMPARTYPOLITICSTO PERSONALIZEDPOLITICS?

COMPARATIVEPOLITICS

ComparativePoliticsisaseriesforresearchers,teachers,andstudentsof politicalsciencethatdealswithcontemporarygovernmentandpolitics.Globalinscope, booksintheseriesarecharacterizedbyastressoncomparativeanalysisandstrong methodologicalrigour.TheseriesispublishedinassociationwiththeEuropean ConsortiumforPoliticalResearch.Formoreinformationvisit <http://www.ecprnet.eu>.

TheseriesiseditedbyEmilievanHaute,ProfessorofPoliticalScience, UniversitélibredeBruxelles;andFerdinandMüller-Rommel,DirectoroftheCenterfor theStudyofDemocracy,LeuphanaUniversity;andSusanScarrow,JohnandRebecca MooresProfessorofPoliticalScience,UniversityofHouston.

OTHERTITLESINTHISSERIES

Multi-LevelElectoralPolitics

BeyondtheSecond-OrderElectionModel

SonaN.Golder,IgnacioLago,AndréBlais,ElisabethGidengil,andThomasGschwend

OrganizingPoliticalParties

Representation,Participation,andPower

EditedbySusanE.Scarrow,PaulD.Webb,andThomasPoguntke

ReformingDemocracy

InstitutionalEngineeringinWesternEurope

CamilleBedock

PartyReform

TheCauses,Challenges,andConsequences ofOrganizationalChange AnikaGauja

HowEuropeansViewandEvaluateDemocracy

EditedbyMónicaFerrínandHanspeterKriesi

FacesontheBallot

ThePersonalizationofElectoralSystemsinEurope

AlanRenwickandJean-BenoitPilet

ThePoliticsofPartyLeadership ACross-NationalPerspective

EditedbyWilliamP.CrossandJean-BenoitPilet

BeyondPartyMembers

ChangingApproachestoPartisanMobilization

SusanE.Scarrow

InstitutionalDesignandPartyGovernmentin Post-CommunistEurope

CsabaNikolenyi

RepresentingthePeople

ASurveyamongMembersofStatewideandSub-stateParliaments

EditedbyKrisDeschouwerandSamDepauw

NewPartiesinOldPartySystems PersistenceandDeclineinSeventeenDemocracies NicoleBolleyer

FromPartyPoliticsto

PersonalizedPolitics?

PartyChangeandPolitical

PersonalizationinDemocracies

GIDEONRAHATANDOFERKENIG

GreatClarendonStreet,Oxford,OX26DP, UnitedKingdom

OxfordUniversityPressisadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford. ItfurtherstheUniversity’sobjectiveofexcellenceinresearch,scholarship, andeducationbypublishingworldwide.Oxfordisaregisteredtrademarkof OxfordUniversityPressintheUKandincertainothercountries

©GideonRahatandOferKenig2018

Themoralrightsoftheauthorshavebeenasserted

FirstEditionpublishedin2018

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Acknowledgments

Thisbookmarksamilestoneonouracademicjourney,duringthecourseof whichwehavemetmanywiseandthoughtfulpeople;theinsightsthatthey sharedwithusofteninformedourwork.Toallofthemweofferthanks,and noneofthemshouldbeblamedforourfaults.

WearegratefultoHeleneHelboePedersen,whomadeGideon’svisittothe departmentofpoliticalscienceatAarhusUniversityinDenmarksofruitful forthisproject;herongoingencouragementandobservationswerealsomuch appreciated.Wethanktheparticipantsinatwo-dayworkshopandHelene’ s colleaguesandstudentsfortheirvaluablecomments.Ourgratitudealsogoes toKarinaPedersen,fortheopportunityshegaveustopresentourworktoher studentsandcolleaguesatCopenhagenUniversity.Wethankthosewho participatedintheworkshopsandconferenceswherewepresentedpartsof ourworkandhadtheopportunitytohearaboutotherstudiesonpartychange andpoliticalpersonalization particularlyatthe2016ECPRworkshop “InstitutionalizationandDe-InstitutionalizationofPoliticalOrganizations ” inPisa,Italy,ledbyRobertHarmelandLarsSvåsand,andattheThird AnnualBAGSSConferenceinBamberg,Germany.Ourthanksgoespecially toThomasSaalfeldandAgataMariaKrajandtothemembersofthepanelon “PartyChangeandReform” attheECPRGeneralConferenceinOslo,Norway, inSeptember2017,MatthiasDillinginparticular.Manythanksalsotothe participantsinthePoliticalScienceDepartmentseminarattheHebrew UniversityofJerusalemfortheircommentsandencouragement.

AppreciationgoestoourfriendandcolleagueBillCross,whoarrangedtwo workshopsonpoliticalpersonalization,inBanffin2016andinTorontoin 2017.Inaddition,webenefitedfromconversationswiththemanywise womenandmenwhoparticipatedinthoseeventsandfromreadingthepapers presentedthere.SpecialthankstoAnikaGauja,ourfriendandcolleague,who commentedmostappositelyontwopapersthatbecamechaptersinthisbook.

Therearemanyotherswhosecontributionallowedustocompletethis project:Gideon ’sresearchassistants,ShahafZamirandAvitalFriedman, builtthedatabasethatallowedustoexaminepersonalizationonline.Alona Dolinskyalsodeservesthanksforhelpinguswithdataanalysis.Wealso bene fitedenormouslyfromthedata-miningeffortsofourcolleaguesaround theworld:MariaBäck,StefanieBailer,AmandaBittner,RuthDassonneville, StefaanFiers,AdamGendzwill,KenHijino,LauriKarvonen,AndréKrouwel, Jean-BenoitPilet,AnttiPajala,ScottPruysers,ArjanSchakel,andDavide Vampa.AndspecialthanksareduetoElisaVolpi,whogenerouslyshared

withusheroriginaldataonpartyswitching.Apologiesifweforgotanyone,but yourcontributionisincludedinthesepages.

Inaddition,anumberofresearchersinlegislaturesaroundtheworldmade greateffortstoprovideuswithdataonthesubmissionofprivatememberbills (Appendix15).Weweremostimpressedwithyourwillingnesstohelp!The samegoesforthecountryexpertswhorespondedsoswiftlytoourrequestforthe namesofthreeprominentpoliticians fromeachparty(listinAppendix17).

IthasbeenanhonortoshareourjourneywithReuvenHazan,afellow travelertopartyland,andwithTamirSheafer,ShaulShenhav,andMeital Balmas,fellowtravelerstopersonalization-land.Inaddition,PazitBenNoon-BlumandMatanSharkanskiarealwaysasourceofwisdomforus.

ThousandsofthankstoLisaPerlmanforherwisdom,kindness,andperfect editing;andthesamefortheOxfordUniversityPresspeoplewhoskillfully handledthevariousstagesofthereviewandpublicationprocess.

Finally,ashoutouttotheIsraelInstitutethathelpedfundthedatabaseof onlinepersonalizationatitsinception.WealsothanktheAshkelonAcademic Collegeforitshelpinfundingthisproject.

4.ThePresenceandSuccessofNational-LevelPartiesinLocal andRegionalElections68

5.ACross-NationalComparisonofPartyChange91 PartII.PoliticalPersonalization

6.PoliticalPersonalization:Definition,Typology,andCauses115

7.IndicatorsofPoliticalPersonalization137

8.PartiesversusPoliticiansOnline171

10.PartyChangeandPoliticalPersonalization:ACritical OverviewoftheLiterature223 11.PartyChangeandPoliticalPersonalization:AnEmpirical Analysis243

ListofFigures

2.1AGraphicIllustrationoftheCoverageoftheIndicators ofPartynessRegardingtheParty–SocietyLinkage30

5.1ChangeinPartynessperIndicator99

5.2AverageChangeinPartynessbyCountry102

6.1PoliticalPersonalization:TypesandSubtypes118

6.2CausesofPersonalization126

7.1Selectorates:FromtheMostPersonalizedtotheMost Depersonalized151

9.1PoliticalPersonalizationperIndicator194

9.2AveragePersonalizationbyCountry(AverageofIndicators)200

9.3AveragePersonalizationbyCountry(AverageofDimensions)200

9.4PersonalizationofCountrieswithandwithoutIndicators ofOnlinePersonalization204

9.5TheRelationshipbetweentheRankingsofCountriesinTerms ofSelf-ExpressionValuesandOfflinePoliticalPersonalization209

11.1TheRelationshipbetweenChangesinPartynessandPolitical Personalization244

11.2TheRelationshipbetweenChangesinPartynessandOffline PoliticalPersonalization248

ListofTables

2.1TheSelectedDozenIndicatorsofPartyness29

3.1ChangeinthePartyBackgroundofMinisters45

3.2ChangeinthePartyBackgroundofLegislators47

3.3ChangeintheProportionofPartyMembersintheElectorate (M/Ein%)50

3.4ChangeinParty–InterestGroupRelationships52

3.5ChangeinPartyIdenti fication55

3.6ChangeinNetElectoralVolatility(PedersenIndex)57

3.7ChangeinElectoralTurnout59

3.8ChangeintheEffectiveNumberofPartiesamongVoters(ENPV)62

3.9ChangeinPartySystemInnovation:TotalShareofVotes(%) GiventoNewParties65

3.10SurvivalofOld(Founder/Traditional)Parties:ShareofVotes for “New” PartiesintheMostRecentElectionsupto201566

4.1PercentageofVotesorSeatsforLocalPartiesinLocal (Municipal)Elections:NationalSummaries76

4.2ChangeinthePercentageofSeatsHeldbyLocal Parties/IndependentsintheMunicipalCouncilsoftheFive LargestCities79

4.3CalculatingtheDissimilarityIndexforAustria86

4.4DissimilarityIndex:VoteintheRegionforNationalElectionsvs. VoteintheRegionforRegionalElections:AveragesbyDecade87

4.5National-LevelPartiesinLocalandRegionalElections: SummaryofFindings(PartynessIndex)88

5.1ChangesinthePartynessofLegislatorsandChangesinthe PartynessofMinisters93

5.2PairwiseComparisonsoftheTrendinPartynessforIndicators ConcerningtheMediators(NumberofCountries)94

5.3IndicatorsofParty–VotersRelationship(PartynessIndex)96

5.4PearsonCorrelationsbetweentheIndicatorsofPartyness98

5.5ChangeinPartynessperIndicatorandDimension101

5.6PartynessatStartingPointandChangeinPartyness (Countries’ Ranking)105

5.7LevelsofVarianceinPartynessatStartandEndPoints (StandardDeviationandRange)106

5.8Self-ExpressionValues,ChangeinPartyness,andPartynessat EndPointinTwenty-SixDemocracies(Countries’ Rankings)107

5.9PartySwitching1960–9and2001–10:AverageperYear (inPercentages)111

7.1IndicatorsofPoliticalPersonalization138

7.2PersonalizationandDepersonalizationoftheElectoralSystem fortheLowerHouseofParliament,1960–2015143

7.3Prime-MinisterialPowerandPresidentialization144

7.4TheAdoptionofDirectElectionsforNational,Regional, andLocalChiefExecutives147

7.5PersonalizationofLeadershipSelection,1975–2015152

7.6PersonalizationofCandidateSelection153

7.7PersonalizationinUncontrolledMediaCoverageofPolitics156

7.8PartiesandElectoralListsthatIncludedTheirLeaders’ Names inTheirName,1965–2015159

7.9ChangeinPatternsofPrivateMemberBillsSubmission162

7.10ChangeintheNumberofCoalitionMembersperMinister165

7.11TrendsinVoters’ PersonalizedBehavior169

8.1NumberofFacebookUpdatesandtheOnlinePersonalization IndexfortheUKPartiesJanuary15–February14,2015180

8.2NumberofFacebook “Likes” andtheOnlinePersonalization IndexforUKParties180

8.3Share(inPercentages)ofParties,PartyLeaders,andProminent PoliticiansWhoHadWebsites,FacebookandTwitterAccounts inFebruary2015182

8.4PartiesorPartyLeadersOnline:WhoWasThereFirst?185

8.5Facebook,Supply,andConsumption:TheOnline PersonalizationIndexofPartyLeaders/Prominent Politicians:Parties186

8.6ActorswiththeHighestNumbersofFacebook “Likes” 189

9.1PersonalizationbyIndicatorandDimension196

9.2PersonalizationbyDimension198

9.3AComparisonbetweenKarvonen’s(2010)Estimationsand OurEstimationsofPersonalizationbyCountries205

9.4PartynessatStartingPointandPersonalization (Countries’ Ranking)207

9.5Self-ExpressionValues,ChangeinPartynessandPartynessat EndPointinTwenty-SixDemocracies(Countries’ Ranking)208

9.6TrustinPoliticalPartiesandTrustinPoliticians:AComparison214

11.1LevelsofChange:PartynessbyPersonalization246

11.2LevelsofChange:PartynessbyOfflinePersonalization249

11.3PearsonCorrelationsbetweenChangeinPartyness(Average ofIndicators)andPoliticalPersonalization(Average ofDimensions)251

Introduction

The “centurythathasjuststartedwillbetheageofpersonalization,justasthe previousonewasthecenturyofmasscollectiveactors atrendthatpolitical sciencehasadutytoconsiderwithgreaterattention.” Withthesewords MusellaandWebb(2015:226)endtheirintroductorychaptertoaspecial issueof ItalianPoliticalScienceReview on “ThePersonalLeaderinContemporaryPartyPolitics.” Fromabroaderhistoricalperspective,whatwehave witnessedinrecentdecadesmaybe “thecomebackofpersonalpower” (Calise 2011:3).Alternatively,perhaps,whatwearecurrentlywitnessingisnota completechangeorcomebackbutratherasynthesisofpartisanandpersonalizedpolitics.

Thisbookwillexaminetwoofthemostprominentdevelopmentsincontemporarydemocraticpolitics:thechangeinparty–societylinkageandpoliticalpersonalization.Theformerismanifestedinmanyways:fromchanges inthepartybackgroundofpoliticianstochangesinthedensityofparty membership;andfromchangesinparty–interestgrouprelationshipsto assortedaspectsofvoterbehavior(suchaselectoralturnoutandelectoral volatility).Wewillrefertoalltheseelementsaspointingtoanincrease, decline,ornochangein partyness. 1 Thelatterdevelopment,politicalpersonalization,istheprocessbywhichtheweightofthegroup(inthisbook,the politicalparty)declinesinpolitics,whilethecentralityofindividualpoliticiansrises.Thisphenomenonismultifacetedandisreflectedinchangesin politicalinstitutions,inthewaysinwhichpoliticsispresentedandcoveredby themedia,andinthebehaviorofbothpoliticiansandvoters.

Thesetwophenomenaappeartoberelated:whenpartiesdecline,itwould bereasonabletoexpectthattheweightofindividualpoliticiansinpoliticswill increase.Upuntilnow,theanalysisoftheserelationshipswaslimitedeitherto

1 Weborrowedtheterm “partyness” fromDaltonandWattenberg(2000b),thoughtheywere notthe firsttouseit(see,forexample,Katz1987).Theterm “partisanship” wasrejectedbecauseit isusedintheresearchliteratureeithertodenotetheattachmentofvoters’ sentimentstopartiesor specificallyinrelationtopartyidentity(see,forexample,Dalton2000;DaltonandWeldon2007). Partynessisawiderconceptthatcanbeappliedtovotersandalsotootherelements,suchas ministers’ andMPs’ partybackgrounds,linksofpartieswithinterestgroups,andthestatusof nationalpartiesatthelocalandregionallevels.

specificaspectsofthesephenomena(RenwickandPilet2016)ortosinglecountrystudies(Wattenberg1994).Nostudyhasempiricallyexamined,ina comprehensivemanner,therelationshipbetweenthesetwodevelopments fromacross-nationalcomparativeperspective.Moreover,whiledeclinein theparty–societylinkmaybeanecessaryconditionforpersonalization, personalizationisnotanecessaryoutcomeofpartychange,becauseactors otherthanindividualpoliticians(e.g.,themedia,interestgroups,courts)may takeoversomeofthefunctionspreviouslyassumedbypoliticalparties.In addition,itisplausibletosuggestthatinsomecasespersonalizationwillbe channeledinwaysthatmaynothurtthepartyormayevenstrengthenit.

THEGOALSOFTHEBOOK

Inthesepagesweendeavortotakethecross-nationalcomparativestudyofparty change,ofpoliticalpersonalization,andoftherelationshipbetweenthemastep forward.Withregardtopartychange,nostudy,tothebestofourknowledge, offersacomparativecross-nationalestimationof variance inthelevelsand patternsofpartychangeamongcountries.2 Theliteratureonpartychangehas thusfaracknowledgedthedifferencesbetweencountriesbuthastendedto overlookthem,sacrificingthemtothe “partydecline” versus “partyadaptation” debate,asitisusuallyframed(Dalton,Farrell,andMcAllister2011andMair 2013areamongthemostprominentrecentworksonthesubject).

Ouraimisnotmerelytoexamineandintegratetheexistingdatabutto injectfreshcross-nationalcomparativedataintothestudy.Thisadditionis particularlypertinenttothealmostneglectedaspectofthepresenceand successofnationalpartiesatlocalandregionallevels.Beyondsomesinglecasestudies(ÅbergandAhlberger2015;Brichta1998),thereareseveral comparativestudiesthatthrowlightonthisaspect(DandoyandSchakel 2013;Detterbeck2012;ReiserandHoltmann2008a),but,todate,ithasnot featuredinthegeneralstudyofpartychange.

Asforpoliticalpersonalization,thebookpresentsamorecomprehensive cross-nationalanalysisthanotherstudies,intermsofbothnumberofcountries andindicators(DowneyandStanyer2010;Karvonen2010).Theliterature offerssomegoodtheoreticalreasonsforexpectingpoliticalpersonalization. Thedeclineintheparty–societylinkage,themediatizationofpolitics(especially throughtelevision,withitsvisualemphasis)andtheoverallculturalprocessof individualizationallsuggestthatwemight findclearevidenceofageneraltrend

2 Krouwel(2012)issomethingofanexception,althoughhetakesadifferentdirection,as elaboratedinChapter2, “AVariance-BasedApproach.”

towardpoliticalpersonalization.Yetmoststudiesuntilnowdidnotdetectsuch evidence(AdamandMaier2010;Karvonen2010).Byemphasizingvariance amongcountries,thisbookwilltakethe firststeptowardbridgingthegap betweentheverygoodtheoreticalreasonswehavetoexpectpoliticalpersonalizationandthegenerallyweakempirical findings.Inaddition,itwilloutlinethe mostexpansivecross-nationalcomparisonofonlinepersonalizationtodate. Thisareahasbeenresearched,butnotinacomprehensivemanner,which directlycomparestheactivityofpartiesandpoliticiansandhowonlinepersonalizationisconsumedintwenty-fivecountries,aswillbedonehere.

Finally,regardingtherelationshipbetweenthedeclineoftheparty–society linkageandpoliticalpersonalization,manystudiesclaim,logically,thatparty changebreedspoliticalpersonalization(Karvonen2010;McAllister2007; Webb,Poguntke,andKolodny2012).However,exceptforWattenberg’ s (1994)studyofAmericanpolitics,noworkhasempiricallyexaminedthese relationships.Havingcompletedthetwopreliminarytasksofmeasuringthe levelsofpartychangeandmeasuringthelevelsofpoliticalpersonalization (eachoneimportantinitsownright),thebookisthenabletosystematically analyzetherelationshipbetweenthetwophenomena.

Thethreemainresearchquestionsthatguidedusareasfollows.First,are theresigni ficantdifferencesinthelevelsandpatternsofpartychangeamong democracies?Ifthereare,howcanweexplainthem?Second,aretheresigni ficantdifferencesinthelevelsandpatternsofpoliticalpersonalizationamong democracies?Again,ifthereare,howcanweexplainthesedifferences?Third, whatistherelationshipbetweenpartychangeandpoliticalpersonalization?

Theemphasisonvarianceacrossstatesandonthedevelopmentofthe numerousaspectsanddimensionsofpartychangeandpoliticalpersonalizationexposesdifferencesandleadstoaricherandbetterinformeddiscussion. Inthecaseofpartychange,itoffersananalyticalframeworkthatextends beyondthedichotomousdebateofpartydeclineversuspartyadaptation. Inthematterofpoliticalpersonalization,asnoted,theemphasisonvariance helpsinbridgingbetweenthehightheoreticalexpectationsandthedisappointingempirical findings.Asforthetheoreticallysoundlinkagebetween thetwophenomena,thisvolumenotonlyisthe firsttosubmitittoa comprehensivecross-nationalexamination,butitalsoproposesamore nuancedunderstandingofthisrelationship.

THESCOPEANDLEVELOFTHEANALYSIS

Currentcomparativepoliticsliterat urepointstoanarrayofrecentdevelopmentsinthe fi eld,forexampleonthedeclineinpartisanship(Daltonand

Wattenberg2000a;Mair2013),theexpansionofpoliticalopportunities beyondpartypolitics(Cain,Dalton,andScarrow2003),thepresidentializationofpolitics(PoguntkeandWebb2005a;Webb,Poguntke,andKolodny 2012),thegrowthofpowerofindependentlistsinlocalpolitics(Reiserand Holtmann2008a),changesinpartymembership(VanHauteandGauja 2015;Scarrow2015),institutionalreforms(Bedock2017),electoralreforms (RenwickandPilet2016),partyreforms(Gauja2017b),theopeningupof leadershipandcandidateselectionmethods(CrossandBlais2012;Cross andPilet2015;HazanandRahat2010),andthechangingrelationsof center-leftpartieswithtradeunions (AllernandBale2017).Thisbookcan beseenasanambitiousattempttopresentanintegratedanalysisofallthese developmentsasfacetsoftwosuperdev elopments:partychangeandpoliticalpersonalization.

Partychangeandpoliticalpersonalizationcanbeanalyzedatvarious levels:thecountrylevel,thepartylevel,and,inthecaseofpersonalization, theindividuallevel.Thisstudywillfocusonvarianceatthecountrylevel.Itis basedonthepremisethatinmodernrepresentativedemocraciespolitical partiesoperatemainlyinrelationtootherpartieswithintheirspeci ficparty system.Thatis,partiescompeteandcooperatewithotherpartiesatthe nationallevelandaredeeplyinfluencedbytheseinteractions.Evenina globalizedworld,eachcountryhasitsspeci ficpolitical,social,institutional, andeconomicorder,whichjustifiesitsbeingtreatedasanautonomouspoliticalunit.Itisnotonlythecasethatcountriesdifferwhencomparisonisatthe countrylevel(e.g.,theirnationalelectoralsystems);studiesalsorecognize signi ficantsimilaritiesbetweensubsystems(regions,municipalities,parties) withinagivencountryandsigni ficantdifferencesbetweenthesesubsystems andtheircounterpartsinothercountries.Thesewithin-countrysimilarities stemfromthefactthatthesubunitsarenestedwithinthenationalorder. Indeed,inhisconcludingoverviewtothecollection OrganizingPolitical Parties,Katz(2017:326)observes:

Oneimportantresultcommontomostofthechaptersinthisvolumeisto highlighttheimportanceofnationaldifferences,whichvirtuallyalways overwhelmeverythingelse.Thisiscertainlyevidentinthevariouscomparisonsofnationversuspartyfamilyasadistinguishingcharacteristic, butitcanalsobeevidentwheneithersystem-levelvariablesorcountry dummiesareincludedinexplanatorymodels.

Havingsaidthat,itisofcoursealsopossibletostudythephenomenabothat thepartylevelandattheindividuallevel,andeventoaccountfortheinfluence ofthecountrybyincludingitasacontrolvariableintheanalysis.Kölln(2015a) hasmadeaconvincingstudyofpartychangeatthepartylevelandidentified differencesamongpartyfamilies.Whenstudyingpoliticalpersonalization,one mayargue,forexample,thatradicalandextremeright-wingpartiestypically

arehighlypersonalizedbycomparisontopartiesfromotherfamilies.Yet,in viewofthetaskwesetourselveshere oflookingatbothphenomenafromthe broadestpossibleperspective andinviewofthelimitationsoftheavailable data,wewillfocusonthecountrylevel.

THERESEARCHPOPULATION:COUNTRIES DURINGASPECIFICPERIOD

Ourstartingpointistheearly1960s.Thisdecadeisrelevanttobothphenomenaunderinvestigation.Itcanbeseenasrepresentinga “goldenage,” the heydayofthemasspoliticalparty,whenpartieswere the centralpolitical actors.Theearly1960scanalsobeseenasthebeginningofthenewageof mass-politicalcommunication(markedbythefamousNixon–KennedyteleviseddebateintheUnitedStates),whichischaracterizedbytheriseof televisionanditspersonalizinginfluence(BlumlerandKavanagh1999). Ourendpointisthemostrecentonewecouldmanage:2015.Unfortunately, manypiecesofdatathatwerecollectedfailtocovertheentirespanofabout fiftyyears,butthe1960sistheinitialreferencepointandtheaspirationwasto coverasmanyyearsaspossible.

Ourgroupofdemocracies,twenty-sixintotal,includesacoreofveteran andestablisheddemocracies.Afterall,wearedealingwithprocesseswhose startingpointisinthe1960s;thus first-andsecond-wavedemocraciesshould beourmainfocus.ThisgroupofcountriescontainslongtimeEuropean democracies(Austria,Belgium,Denmark,Finland,France,Germany,Iceland, Ireland,Italy,Luxembourg,Netherlands,Norway,Sweden,Switzerland,the UnitedKingdom)andveterandemocracieselsewhereintheworld(Australia, Canada,Israel,Japan,NewZealand).Wealsoexaminehereearlythird-wave (Greece,Portugal,Spain)andlatethird-wavedemocracies(CzechRepublic, Hungary,Poland).

Wedidnotincludepresidentialdemocraciesinourstudy,becauseparties playasubstantiallydifferentroleinsuchsystemsofgovernment(Samuelsand Shugart2010)andbecausetheinherentlypersonalizednatureofsucharegime wouldhaveoverburdenedthestudy.Mostofthecountriesarepurelyparliamentarian,whileafewbelong,accordingtothevariousdefinitionsofscholars, inaninterimcategory.3 Thisimpliesthat,bycomparisontopresidentialized

3 FollowingSamuelsandShugart(2010:32 –3),seventeenofthecountriesinourgroupwere parliamentary(includingIsrael,exceptfortheperiod1996–2003), fi vewerepremier-presidential (prominentamongthemisFrance),andone,Austria,waspresident-parliamentary.Themost presidentialcountry,accordingtotheseauthors’ categorization,isAustria,which,inits

systems,andespeciallytothepresidentialregimetypes,partiesshouldbe relativelycentralactorsintheirpolitics,whilelevelsofpersonalizationcan beexpectedtobelower(SamuelsandShugart2010).Yetitemergesthatthese countriesdifferinmanyaspects,fromtheirgeneralinstitutionalorder(consensusversusmajoritarian,federalversusunitary)andelectoralsystemtotheir politicalcultures(Lijphart2012).Overall,ourgroupcoversalmostallcasesof nonpresidentialveterandemocracies,togetherwithcasesofyoungerdemocracies.Thisvarianceinthepotentialindependentvariablesallowsusafair chancetoexplainthevaryinglevelsofpartychangeandpersonalization.

IMPORTANTNOTE:LET’SNOTFORGETTHAT WEARESTUDYINGPROCESSES

Theaimofthisbookistostudyprocesses,developmentsovertime,andnota staticconditionsuchasthepolities’ levelofpartynessorofpersonalized politics.Itishighlylikelythatthereisvarianceamongcountriesregarding thestartingpoints.Insomecountries,partieswerethedominantactorsin politicsinthe1960s,whileinotherstheywere “just” centralactors;similarly, somecountrieshadamorepersonalizedpoliticsthanothers.Thismeans,for example,thatsomecountriesthatstartedfrom “higher” partynesspointsmay havewitnessedhighlevelsofpartydeclineandyetcameup(attheendpoint) withahigherlevelofpartynessthancountriesthatexperiencedsmaller changes.Forexample,14.3percentoftheDanishelectoratearound1960 werepartymembers,bycomparisonto4.1percentaround2008,whileonly 2.7percentoftheGermanelectoratein1960werepartymembers,bycomparisonto2.3percentaround2008.ThusDenmarkexperiencedamuch steeperdecline(inabsoluteandrelativeterms),yetretainedamuchhigher levelofpartymembershipthanGermany,whichsawamuchsmallerdecline. Weshouldnotonlykeepthisinmind,butrelatetoitinouranalysisofchange.4

parliamentarydefactodynamic,isanoutlierintheirgroup.Switzerland,Iceland,and Luxembourgarenotincludedintheircategorization.Luxembourgcanclearlybeclaimedto belongintheparliamentarygroup,whileIcelandismoreparliamentarythanpresidential.The exception,forallthetypes,isSwitzerland,anditsinclusionisbene fi cial,asdemonstratedinthe analysis,owingtoitsdifferentfeatures.Itcanthusbeclaimedthatourgroupisabout parliamentarydemocraciesandadditionalregimetypesthattendtobeparliamentarymore thanpresidential.

4 Forexample,atleastonthebasisoftheselimitedpiecesofinformation,wemayarguethat partydeclineisaboutconvergence(however,inChapter5, “PartyChange:AComparison betweenDemocracies,” wewillseethatthisnotthecase).

THEMETHODOLOGICALPATH

Duetolackofcomprehensivedata,man ystudiesinpolitic alscience(includingsomeofourown)focustheireffortsonthelimitedareawherethelamp postshinesitslight.Scholarsunderstandablyprefertoprobethosecases theyaremorefamiliarwithandoftenlimitthemselvestotheuseofexisting ormorereadilyaccessibledata.Toacer taindegree,thisisaninevitable resultofreallimitationsofknowledgeandresources.Yetareviewofthe literaturerevealsthattherearestu diesthatmayberelevanttoawider approachtothephenomenonofpartychangeandpoliticalpersonalization. Forexample,studiesofpoliticalrecrui tmentandregionalandlocalpolitics canalsocontributetothestudyofpar tychange,whilestudiesofinstitutionalreformsatthestateandpartylevelsmaybene fi tthestudyofpolitical personalization.

Indeed,thestrategyadoptedhereisonethatappliesthebroadestpossible perspectiveintermsofindicatorsofbothphenomena.Thatis,insteadofthe fewindicatorsofrelativelyhighqualityandspeci ficpropertiesthatallowfor somesophisticatedanalysis,thisstudylooksatawidersetofindicators.These covermuchmoregroundbutarenecessarilyofalowerqualityandcompel ustoprocessthedatainamannerthatwilltaketheirweaknessesinto consideration.

Ourdatacomefromvarioussources: first,extensivedataminingfrom worksofotherscholars;second,analysesbasedonavailablecross-national (e.g.,Eurobarometer,EuropeanSocialSurvey,WorldValueSurvey)and nationalpoliticalsurveys(e.g.,nationalelectionsstudies);third,analyses basedonnewlyavailabledatabasesconcerningaspectsofpartychange(e.g., MembersandActivistsofPoliticalParties,MAPP);and,fourth,analysesof originalmaterialthatinclude,whereneeded,updatingthedata,making additionstothem,andalsocollectingandcodingnewdataonourown, fromscratch.

Therewereseveralchallengestoourambitiousaimtocoverasmuch groundaspossibleintermsofdatagathering,coding,andanalysis.First, the availability ofdata.Forsomecountries,almostalldataareavailable,ata rathersatisfactoryqualityandwithcoverageofalmostalltheperiodin question,butforothersthisisnotthecase.Wearestudyinghereprocesses thatdevelopedovermorethanhalfacentury.Somedatafromthepastcanno longerbegathered,whetherornottheyeverexisted.Questionsthatwerenot askedinsurveysdecadesagoareaclearcaseinpoint.Theothersideofthe coinisthattoday’strendofestablishingonlinedatasetsandournewfound abilitytoconductonlinesearchesforstatsthatarehidinginbooksandarticles meanthatwearemuchricherindatabycomparisontopreviousgenerations ofscholars,andeventoourselvesjustadecadeago.

Asecondchallengeregardsthe quality ofthedata.Someindicatorsare basedondatadrawnfromelectoralrecords(e.g.,electoralvolatility,turnout) thatareofhighquality.Othersarebasedonsurveys,andthussuffertoa greaterorlesserdegreefromtheproblemsthatarisewhensurveyingcitizens, fromensuringtherepresentativenessofthesampletophrasingquestionsinan optimalmanner.Andthesearerelativelyeasytohandlebycomparisonto casesinwhichonehastobasethecodingofthevariousaspectsofthe phenomenaonscholars’ analysesofcasestudies.

The reliability ofthedatawasathirdchallenge.Arelevantexampleisthe Pedersen(1979)indexthatisusedtomeasurenetelectoralvolatilityand servesasapossiblesignofpartychange.Thatis,whenvolatilityincreases, itisasignofdeclineinpartyloyaltyandoneoftheindicatorsofdealignment. Thismeasureseemstobestraightforward.Allonehastodoinorderto computeitistodetractthepercentageofvoteseachpartywoninelection tfromthepercentageofvoteitwoninelectiont-1,addupalltheproducts, anddividethesumbytwo.Yettheproblemisthatthiscomputationrequires ustofacethecomplexrealityofsplitsandmergersandingeneralthe complicatedissueofdefiningwhatconstitutesanewparty(Barneaand Rahat2011).Andthendifferentscholarsofferdifferentanswerstothis question,iftheyaddressitatall.

Afourthchallengethatisespeciallyrelevanttothisstudyis comparability. Manyofthecodingsofindicatorsarebasedonsingle-casestudiesorcomparisonsofseveralcases.Thesehavetobe “translated” andintegratedinto onedatabase.Evenwhenthereareseeminglycomparabledata,forexample ofpartymembership,theirnaturemaydifferacrosscountriesandevenwithin countries,inwaysthataffectthenumbers(amountpaid,obligations,etc.;see Scarrow2015).Insomecases,dataaresimplynotcomparable.Forexample, partymembershipinIcelandcouldnotbeincludedbecausepartiesseemto accumulatemembers onceapersonjoins,sheisamemberforlife,without anyobligations(IndriðasonandKristinsson2015).

Wemustcopewiththesechallenges,becauseouraimistolookatthe phenomenafromawideangleratherthanusingthebestavailabledataasa “ proxy ” forthestudy.Wethuslookedforawaytoincludethelessthan perfectandmuchlessthanperfectdatawegatheredaswell.Thisledusto searchforaremedyinthe fieldofqualitativecomparativeanalysis,which proposesdealingwithsuchdifficultiesbycalibratingthedata(Downeyand Stanyer2010).Thatis,wetranslatedeachindicatorofpartychangeor politicalpersonalizationintoa five-pointscale( 2, 1,0,1,2).Inthisway welimitedouranalysistotwolevelsofchangeforeachdirection(highor moderateincreaseordecrease)andtoonelevelofnotrend.Inaddition,we investedmucheffortinbeingtransparentwithourdata,asisevidentfromthe numberandrichnessofourtwenty-oneappendices.Wealsocameupwith variousothersolutionstotheseproblems,aswillbeelaboratedinthesections

“CopingwiththeChallengesofMeasuringVarianceinPartyChange” in Chapter2and “OntheProcessingoftheData” inChapter3,andinthe discussionofeachindicatorinChapters3,4,7,and8.

BOOKPLAN

Thelogicofthestructureofthebookisveryplain.PartIfocusesonparty change.Itstartswithachapterthatlaysouttheconceptualandtheoretical foundationsforthelaterchapters,whichofferanempiricalanalysisofthe phenomena.Theendproductisabroadcross-nationalanalysisofparty changethatallowsustoidentifyboththegeneraltrendandthevariance amongcountries.PartIIfollowsthesamepath,thistimeforpoliticalpersonalization.PartIIIexaminesthelinksbetweenthesetwophenomena.Itstarts withacriticalreviewoftheliteratureandendswithanempiricalanalysisthat usesthetwodatasetspresentedinthepreviouschaptersinordertoexamine therelationshipbetweenpartychangeandpersonalization.

PartI,then,examinespartychange.Its firstchapter,Chapter2,setsthe theoreticalandconceptualbasisfortheattemptmadeinthesubsequentthree chapterstoanalyzepartychangefromacross-nationalcomparativeperspective.Herewearguethat,whiletheliteratureframesthestudyofpartychange around(1)abroadagreementconcerningtheveryexistenceofachangeand (2)adebatethatrevolvesaroundthedepthandmeaningofthischange (declineoradaptation),ittendstooverlookcross-countryvariance.Inorder tomapvariance,adozenviableindicatorsofpartychangeareidentified.The chapteralsodescribesthemethodologicalbarriersforconductingresearchon longitudinalcross-countryvarianceandthewaysinwhichtheywere addressed.Inaddition,itdiscussesotherindicatorsthatwerenotincluded intheanalysis,explainingwhytheywereleftout,andassessesthecostoftheir exclusion.

Chapter3startswithabriefexplanationofdataprocessingandthenturns toexaminenineofthetwelveindicatorsofpartychange.Theseincludewidely usedones(e.g.,partymembership,electoralvolatility,electoralturnout)as wellasseveralthathavebeenproposedandexaminedbyonlyafewscholars (partynessofministersandmembersofparliament,party–unionsrelationships,continuityofparties).Alltheseindicatorsexaminethedirectand indirectlinksofpartieswithsociety.Theindirect,mediatedlinksincludethe relationshipbetweentheextra-parliamentaryorganizationandthe “partyin government, ” thepartyanditsmembers,andthepartyandinterestgroups. Thedirectlinkswithvotersincludevoterattitudestowardparties,aswellas patternsofvoterbehaviorandtheresultingpartysystem.Thesigni ficanceof

eachindicatorisexplained,itsadvantagesandlimitationsareexamined,and thetrendsovertimeforeachindicatorarediscussed.

Chapter4detectspatternsofstabilityandchangeinthestrengthofnational partiesatthelocalandregionallevels.Itstartsbyexplainingwhythepresence ofnationalpartiesatsubnationallevelsshouldberegardedasanimportant indicatorofpartyness.Itcontinuesbyjustifyingtheexpectationsforthe declineofnationalpartiesattheselevels.Itthenturnstoanalyzetheperformanceofthenationalparties.Thisisdoneusingthreedifferentmeasurements:theproportionoflocal-levelparties’ votesorseatsinlocalelections; theproportionoftheirseatsinthecouncilsofthe fivelargestcitiesineach country;andtheirproportioninholdingthemayor’sposition.Intheregional arena,theindicatorusedisthechangeinthelevelofdissimilaritybetween votinginregionalandinnationalelections.

Chapter5,whichconcludesPartI,givesanintegrativeviewofthedozen indicatorsofpartychange.Thisincludes, first,aseparateexaminationofthe relationshipbetweenindicatorswithinthethreemaintypesoflinks:through socialization(partybackground),throughmediators(partymembership, interestgroups,localandregionalgovernment)anddirectly(voterstands andbehaviors).Secondcomesananalysisofthe findingsperindicatorand dimension.Ananalysisbycountrycomesnext.Finally,welookatthe availabledataonthedevelopmentofpartyswitchingovertheyears,in ordertodeterminewhetherpartiesinsomecountriesalreadyceasedtoexist andbecamejustformalandnominalentities.

PartIIexaminespoliticalpersonalization.Theopeningchapterlaysdown theconceptualandtheoreticalbasisfortheanalysisofpoliticalpersonalizationfromacross-nationalperspective.Itproposesade finitionofpolitical personalizationandcloselyexaminesitscoremeaning,itsbroadness,andthe implicationsofperceivingpersonalizationasaprocess.Atypologyofpersonalizationsispresented,differentiatingbetweeninstitutional,media,and behavioraltypesandbetweensubtypeswithineachcategory.Inaddition, thechapterexamineswhattheresearchliteraturehastosayaboutthegeneral causesofpoliticalpersonalizationandabouttherelationshipsbetweenits differenttypes.

Chapter7identifiestenviableindicatorsthatcoveralltypesandsubtypesof offlinepoliticalpersonalization:institutionalpersonalizationofbothgovernmentalinstitutions(theelectoralsystemandtheexecutives)andnongovernmentalinstitutions(politicalparties);mediapersonalization,bothuncontrolled (newscoverageofpolitics)andcontrolled(thewayspartiesandpoliticians presentthemselves);andpersonalizationinthebehaviorofpoliticians(legislativebehavior)andofvoters.Thelogicandsignificanceofeachindicatoris explained,itsadvantagesandlimitationsareexamined,andtrendsovertime arediscussed.Foreachtypeofpersonalization,otherpotentialindicatorsare mentionedandexaminedandtheirexclusionisexplained.

Next,Chapter8looksatonlinepoliticalpersonalization.Afterreviewing thestudyofpoliticalpersonalizationonlineanditsclaimsaboutthein fluence ofonlineplatformsonpoliticalpersonalization,itpresentstheresultsofan originalresearchthatcomparesparties,partyleaders,andprominentpoliticiansfromtwenty- fivedemocracies.Thestudylooksatboththeproduction side(presenceandpublicationofFacebookposts)andtheconsumptionside (Facebooklikes).

Chapter9,whichclosesthispart,presentsanintegrativeanalysisofthe dozenindicatorsofpoliticalpersonalization(tenofflineandtwoonline).It looksatpersonalizationperindicatorandattherelationshipbetweenthe threetypes institutional,media,andbehavior.Italsocomparesthelevelsof personalizationbycountryandattemptstoexplainthembylookingat institutionalandpoliticalculturalexplanations.Finally,thechapterexamines theclaimsthatareraisedintheliteratureabouttheconsequencesofpolitical personalization.

PartIIIlinkspartychangeandpoliticalpersonalization.Itopenswitha theoreticaldiscussioninChapter10thatlooksattheirrelationshipfrom theperspectiveofthestudyofpoliticalpartiesandfromthatofthestudyof politicalpersonalization.Italsoexaminestheintegratedperspectiveexpressed inWattenberg’sworks(1991,1994) theonlycaseinwhichbothphenomena weregivenequalweight,withoutoneovershadowingtheother.Itthen turnstoexaminethechallengesthatwereposedtothecommonwisdom ofazero-sumrelationshipbetweenpa rtychangeandpoliticalpersonalizationandtotheissueofthedirectiono fthecausalrelati onshipbetweenthe twophenomena.

Chapter11presentsanempiricalanalysisoftherelationshipbetweenthe twoprocessesofpartychangeandpoliticalpersonalization:isthisindeeda negativerelationship?Isitalwaysazero-sumrelationship?Itdoessousingthe analysisofthetwophenomenathatwasappliedintheprevioustwopartsand integratedinChapters5and9.Italsoexaminesthequestionofthedirection ofthisrelationship:doespartychangecausepersonalization,orisittheother wayaround?

The final,concludingchaptercomprisesanoverviewofthemain findings presentedinthebook.Italsoproposesdirectionsforfutureresearchinthe threesubjectareascovered:partychange,politicalpersonalization,andthe relationshipbetweenthem.Its finalsectionisdedicatedtotheclaimthat personalizationshouldbeseenasathreattothequalityofdemocracy,indeed toitsveryexistence,andalsosuggestswaystoredirectpersonalizedenergies tothebene fitofpoliticalpartiesanddemocracy.

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