Political Democracy and Party Competition (Routledge ECPR Studies in European Political Science)

This new book introduces innovative research on democracy from the leading Comparative Manifestos Project (CMP). It details the key achievements of the project to date, illustrates how its findings may be applied, lays out the future challenges it faces and examines how the field as a whole can advance. It also presents a special assessment of the dimensionality of party competition, presenting ways in which research can be extended and related to broader approaches in Political Science and Theory. Although CMP research is widely used and constitutes the major comparative data set on party positions and ideological location, it is also subject to challenge. The volume therefore provides the reader with a clear sense of the key debates and questions surrounding its work. This volume also honours the life-time achievement of Professor Ian Budge, who has provided distinguished intellectual leadership for the CMP over the last twenty-five years. This is an essential point of reference for all comparative research on the functioning of democracies. This book will be of great interest to all students and scholars of politics and of democracy in particular. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Series-Title......Page 3 Title......Page 8 Copyright......Page 9 Dedication......Page 10 Contents......Page 12 figures......Page 14 Tables......Page 16 Contributors......Page 18 Preface......Page 19 Acknowledgments......Page 21 Introduction......Page 24 1 Ian Budge: A life of writing and organising, walking and talking......Page 44 Part I: Empirical developments and applications......Page 54 2 Party government formation and policy preferences: An encompassing approach?......Page 56 3 Policy changes of parties in European Parliament party groups......Page 79 4 Parties in democracy, democracy in parties: Lessons from Ian Budge and the CMP data......Page 105 5 Do parties reflect public concerns?......Page 128 Part II: Methodological directions and challenges......Page 148 6 The dimensionality of party ideologies......Page 150 7 Occam no, Archimedes yes......Page 166 8 On the dimensionality of political space and on its inhabitants......Page 182 9 “Party-defined” spaces revisited......Page 202 Part III: Democratic processes and values......Page 224 10 Ideological considerations and voting behaviour: A comparison of individual and aggregate level approaches......Page 226 11 Does the median voter theorem wipe out political participation?......Page 245 12 Preference shaping and party competition: Some empirical and theoretical arguments......Page 268 13 Party competition and deliberative democracy......Page 294 14 Political tolerance: Meaning, measurement and context......Page 310 Bibliography of the works of Ian Budge......Page 335 Index......Page 337 Ian Budge : A Life Of Writing And Organising, Walking And Talking / Ken Newton -- Party Government Formation And Policy Preferences : An Encompassing Approach? / Hans Keman -- Policy Changes Of Parties In European Parliament Party Groups / Andrea Volkens -- Parties In Democracy, Democracy In Parties : Lessons From Ian Budge And The Cmp Data / Michael D. Mcdonald -- Do Parties Reflect Public Concerns? / Judith Bara -- The Dimensionality Of Party Ideologies / Iain Mclean -- Occam No, Archimedes Yes / Jack H. Nagel -- On The Dimensionality Of Political Space And On Its Inhabitants / David Robertson -- Party-defined Spaces Revisted / Michael Laver -- Ideological Considerations And Voting Behaviour : A Comparison Of Individual And Aggregate Level Approches / John Bartle -- Does The Median Voter Theorem Wipe Out Political Participation? / Paul Whiteley -- Preference Shaping And Party Competition : Some Empirical And Theoretical Arguments / Hugh Ward -- Party Competition And Deliberative Democracy / Albert Weale -- Political Tolerance : Meaning, Measurement And Context / Donald D. Searing, Ivor Crewe And Pamela Johnston Conover. Edited By Judith Bara And Albert Weale. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [312]-313) And Index. This new book introduces research on democracy from the leading Comparative Manifestos Project (CMP). It outlines the achievements of the project to date, illustrates how its findings may be applied, lays out the future challenges it faces and examines how the field as a whole can advance.