Party Competition between Unequals: Strategies and Electoral Fortunes in Western Europe (Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics)

Why do some political parties flourish, while others flounder? In this book, Meguid examines variation in the electoral trajectories of the new set of single-issue parties: green, radical right, and ethnoterritorial parties. Instead of being dictated by electoral institutions or the socioeconomic climate, as the dominant theories contend, the fortunes of these niche parties, she argues, are shaped by the strategic responses of mainstream parties. She advances a new theory of party competition in which mainstream parties facing unequal competitors have access to a wider and more effective set of strategies than posited by standard spatial models. Combining statistical analyzes with in-depth case studies from Western Europe, the book explores how and why established parties undermine niche parties or turn them into weapons against their mainstream party opponents. This study of competition between unequals thus provides broader insights into the nature and outcome of competition between political equals. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Dedication......Page 6 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Contents......Page 9 List of Tables and Figures......Page 10 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms......Page 13 Acknowledgments......Page 17 1 The Niche Party Phenomenon......Page 21 The niche party phenomenon......Page 23 Institutional Approaches......Page 26 Sociological Approaches......Page 30 A strategic party explanation of niche party fortune......Page 34 Methodology and case selection......Page 36 Organization of the book......Page 40 2 Position, Salience, and Ownership: A Strategic Theory of Niche Party Success......Page 42 Bases of Voter Support......Page 43 Facets of Party Strategy......Page 44 An Expanded Tool Kit......Page 47 Non-Issue-based Strategies......Page 50 Changing the Nature of Party Competition: The Critical Role of Nonproximal Parties......Page 52 Hypotheses of the position, salience, and ownership theory......Page 53 The Need to Be "Responsible"......Page 55 The Need to Be Timely......Page 57 Conclusion......Page 58 3 An Analysis of Niche Party Fortunes in Western Europe......Page 61 Dependent Variable......Page 62 Independent Variables......Page 66 Findings of the Nonstrategic Models......Page 74 Findings of the Strategic Models......Page 77 Comparing the Explanatory Power of the PSO and Standard Spatial Theories......Page 80 From one model to many: disaggregating the niche party category......Page 82 Party-Specific Models and Analysis......Page 84 Extension to ethnoterritorial parties......Page 87 Mainstream Party Strategies......Page 89 Institutional and Sociological Factors......Page 91 Models and analysis of ethnoterritorial party vote......Page 93 Findings......Page 94 Radical Right Party Electoral Trajectory......Page 96 Ethnoterritorial Party Electoral Trajectory......Page 99 Conclusion......Page 102 4 A Theory of Strategic Choice......Page 111 The nature of competition between unequals......Page 112 Under what conditions do parties choose particular strategies? a model of strategic choice......Page 115 Niche Party Threat......Page 116 Contextualizing Strategic Choice: The Role of Electoral Systems......Page 117 Contextualizing Strategic Choice: The Interaction of Mainstream Parties......Page 119 Constraints to the Implementation of Rational Strategies......Page 124 Conclusion......Page 127 5 Stealing the Environmental Title: British Mainstream Party Strategies and the Containment of the Green Party......Page 130 The political and electoral environment of post-world war ii britain: the destabilization of british politics......Page 132 The electoral trajectory of the green party......Page 135 Understanding the green party's electoral trajectory......Page 137 Strategic Responses to the Green Party Competitor......Page 139 1987-92: The Rise of the Green Party Threat......Page 142 1992-97: Green Party Electoral Decline......Page 150 1987-92: The Battle to Be "Green"......Page 153 1992-97: The Crowning of a New "Environmental" Party......Page 157 An alternative explanation: the role of the liberal democrats......Page 159 Conclusion......Page 161 6 "The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend": French Mainstream Party Strategies and the Success of the French Front National......Page 163 French electoral and political environment of the fifth republic......Page 165 The rise of the front national (1972-97)......Page 168 Institutional Explanations Prove Insufficient......Page 171 Findings Run Counter to Sociological Expectations......Page 173 1972-81: The Emergence (and Isolation) of the Front National......Page 175 1981-86: The Growing Front National Threat and the Asymmetrical Response of the Mainstream Party Actors......Page 177 1986-88: The Entrenchment of the Front National......Page 185 1988-93: The Strengthening of the Niche Party......Page 189 1993-97: Front National: A Permanent Member of the Party System?......Page 195 1997 And beyond: the implantation of the front national and its strategic causes......Page 201 A Modified Spatial Account of Front National Electoral Support......Page 202 The role of a divided and noncredible gaullist party: a spatially based alternative explanation......Page 207 Conclusion......Page 209 7 An Unequal Battle of Opposing Forces: Mainstream Party Strategies and the Success of the Scottish National Party......Page 212 The scottish political and electoral environment......Page 213 Nationalism in ascendancy: the scottish national party (1966-97)......Page 217 Standard approaches to understanding ethnoterritorial party success......Page 219 Institutional Explanations Fall Short......Page 220 Sociological Theories: Conflicting Expectations and Insignificant Answers......Page 221 1967-70: Mainstream Parties Respond to an Emerging Scottish Threat......Page 223 1970-73: Disappointing Results and the Downplaying of the Devolution Issue......Page 225 1973-77: Mainstream Party Factionalism in the Face of a Rising Scottish National Party Challenge......Page 228 1977-79: Conservative Hostility and Labour Division in the Face of a Sustained Scottish National Party Threat......Page 236 1979-87: Scottish National Party Retreat and the Downplaying of Devolution......Page 243 1987-97: Return of Devolution and the Phoenix-like Rise of the Scottish National Party......Page 246 Why devolution was not an "antidote to nationalism": the effects of the mainstream parties' strategies......Page 250 Testing the PSO Theory: Shifts in Issue Salience, Issue Ownership, and Voters......Page 251 An alternative hypothesis: was labour accommodating the wrong issue position?......Page 263 Conclusion......Page 265 8 Cross-National Comparisons and Extensions......Page 267 From three to six: understanding niche party fortunes across france and britain......Page 268 The Green Parties of Britain and France: Different Strategies with Similar Outcomes......Page 271 Radical Right Parties of Britain and France: Opposite Intensities Lead to Opposite Outcomes......Page 272 Ethnoterritorial Parties of Britain and France: Different Strategic Intensities and Different Outcomes......Page 274 United States: A Mainstream Party Strengthening Green Party Support......Page 277 Australia: Niche Party Containment by Mainstream Party Tactics......Page 284 Conclusion......Page 292 9 Conclusions: Broader Lessons of Competition between Unequals......Page 293 A strategic explanation of niche party success and failure......Page 294 Strategies toward Niche Parties as Drivers of Institutional Change......Page 297 Challenges to Models of Party Competition......Page 298 Challenges to the Nature and Stability of Party Systems......Page 300 Statistical Data......Page 303 Other Primary and Secondary Sources......Page 306 Index......Page 325 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series-title 5 Dedication 6 Title 7 Copyright 8 Contents 9 List of Tables and Figures 10 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms 13 Acknowledgments 17 1 The Niche Party Phenomenon 21 The niche party phenomenon 23 Standard responses to variation in new party electoral success and their limitations 26 Institutional Approaches 26 Sociological Approaches 30 A strategic party explanation of niche party fortune 34 Methodology and case selection 36 Organization of the book 40 2 Position, Salience, and Ownership: A Strategic Theory of Niche Party Success 42 Understanding party interaction 43 Bases of Voter Support 43 Facets of Party Strategy 44 The position, salience, and ownership theory of party competition 47 An Expanded Tool Kit 47 Non-Issue-based Strategies 50 Changing the Nature of Party Competition: The Critical Role of Nonproximal Parties 52 Hypotheses of the position, salience, and ownership theory 53 Contextualizing party behavior: constraints to strategic effectiveness 55 The Need to Be "Responsible" 55 The Need to Be Timely 57 Conclusion 58 3 An Analysis of Niche Party Fortunes in Western Europe 61 Operationalization of variables 62 Dependent Variable 62 Independent Variables 66 Models and analysis 74 Findings of the Nonstrategic Models 74 Findings of the Strategic Models 77 Comparing the Explanatory Power of the PSO and Standard Spatial Theories 80 From one model to many: disaggregating the niche party category 82 Party-Specific Models and Analysis 84 Extension to ethnoterritorial parties 87 Mainstream Party Strategies 89 Institutional and Sociological Factors 91 Models and analysis of ethnoterritorial party vote 93 Findings 94 From one election to many: explaining a niche party's electoral trajectory 96 Radical Right Party Electoral Trajectory 96 Ethnoterritorial Party Electoral Trajectory 99 Conclusion 102 4 A Theory of Strategic Choice 111 The nature of competition between unequals 112 Under what conditions do parties choose particular strategies? a model of strategic choice 115 Niche Party Threat 116 Contextualizing Strategic Choice: The Role of Electoral Systems 117 Contextualizing Strategic Choice: The Interaction of Mainstream Parties 119 Constraints to the Implementation of Rational Strategies 124 Conclusion 127 5 Stealing the Environmental Title: British Mainstream Party Strategies and the Containment of the Green Party 130 The political and electoral environment of post-world war ii britain: the destabilization of british politics 132 The electoral trajectory of the green party 135 Understanding the green party's electoral trajectory 137 Strategic Responses to the Green Party Competitor 139 1987-92: The Rise of the Green Party Threat 142 1992-97: Green Party Electoral Decline 150 Interactive effects of mainstream strategies: quelling the green beast 153 1987-92: The Battle to Be "Green" 153 1992-97: The Crowning of a New "Environmental" Party 157 An alternative explanation: the role of the liberal democrats 159 Conclusion 161 6 "The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend": French Mainstream Party Strategies and the Success of the French Front National 163 French electoral and political environment of the fifth republic 165 The rise of the front national (1972-97) 168 Standard explanations for radical right party success 171 Institutional Explanations Prove Insufficient 171 Findings Run Counter to Sociological Expectations 173 A strategic explanation of the front national's success 175 1972-81: The Emergence (and Isolation) of the Front National 175 1981-86: The Growing Front National Threat and the Asymmetrical Response of the Mainstream Party Actors 177 1986-88: The Entrenchment of the Front National 185 1988-93: The Strengthening of the Niche Party 189 1993-97: Front National: A Permanent Member of the Party System? 195 1997 And beyond: the implantation of the front national and its strategic causes 201 A Modified Spatial Account of Front National Electoral Support 202 The role of a divided and noncredible gaullist party: a spatially based alternative explanation 207 Conclusion 209 7 An Unequal Battle of Opposing Forces: Mainstream Party Strategies and the Success of the Scottish National Party 212 The scottish political and electoral environment 213 Nationalism in ascendancy: the scottish national party (1966-97) 217 Standard approaches to understanding ethnoterritorial party success 219 Institutional Explanations Fall Short 220 Sociological Theories: Conflicting Expectations and Insignificant Answers 221 A strategic explanation of the scottish national party's success 223 1967-70: Mainstream Parties Respond to an Emerging Scottish Threat 223 1970-73: Disappointing Results and the Downplaying of the Devolution Issue 225 1973-77: Mainstream Party Factionalism in the Face of a Rising Scottish National Party Challenge 228 1977-79: Conservative Hostility and Labour Division in the Face of a Sustained Scottish National Party Threat 236 1979-87: Scottish National Party Retreat and the Downplaying of Devolution 243 1987-97: Return of Devolution and the Phoenix-like Rise of the Scottish National Party 246 Why devolution was not an "antidote to nationalism": the effects of the mainstream parties' strategies 250 Testing the PSO Theory: Shifts in Issue Salience, Issue Ownership, and Voters 251 An alternative hypothesis: was labour accommodating the wrong issue position? 263 Conclusion 265 8 Cross-National Comparisons and Extensions 267 From three to six: understanding niche party fortunes across france and britain 268 The Green Parties of Britain and France: Different Strategies with Similar Outcomes 271 Radical Right Parties of Britain and France: Opposite Intensities Lead to Opposite Outcomes 272 Ethnoterritorial Parties of Britain and France: Different Strategic Intensities and Different Outcomes 274 Extensions of the theory: party competition in other advanced industrial democracies 277 United States: A Mainstream Party Strengthening Green Party Support 277 Australia: Niche Party Containment by Mainstream Party Tactics 284 Conclusion 292 9 Conclusions: Broader Lessons of Competition between Unequals 293 A strategic explanation of niche party success and failure 294 Larger theoretical implications 297 Strategies toward Niche Parties as Drivers of Institutional Change 297 Challenges to Models of Party Competition 298 Challenges to the Nature and Stability of Party Systems 300 References 303 Collections of Public and Private Papers 303 Statistical Data 303 Other Primary and Secondary Sources 306 Index 325 Why do some political parties flourish, while others flounder? In this book, Meguid examines variation in the electoral trajectories of the new set of single-issue parties: green, radical right, and ethnoterritorial parties. Instead of being dictated by electoral institutions or the socioeconomic climate, as the dominant theories contend, the fortunes of these niche parties, she argues, are shaped by the strategic responses of mainstream parties. She advances a theory of party competition in which mainstream parties facing unequal competitors have access to a wider and more effective set of strategies than posited by standard spatial models. Combining statistical analyses with in-depth case studies from Western Europe, the book explores how and why established parties undermine niche parties or turn them into weapons against their mainstream party opponents. This study of competition between unequals thus provides broader insights into the nature and outcome of competition between political equals.