The Presidentialization of Political Parties : Organizations, Institutions and Leaders

This book explains why the level of party presidentialization varies from one country to another. It considers the effects of constitutional structures as well as the party's original features, and argues that the degree of party presidentialization varies as a function of the party's genetics. "This book is an important contribution to the study of political parties and the role of the presidents in contemporary democracies. Based on 11 in-depth country case studies, it highlights the political dynamics that account for variation in the presidentialization of political parties in different regime types. While stressing the importance of institutions, it shows that the presidentialization of political parties is at least partly shaped by their genetic features. This book provides an important contribution to comparative studies and should be read by both scholars and students alike." - Robert Elgie, Dublin City University, Ireland "With this rich and coherent set of case studies, Passarelli and contributors greatly advance the debate about the extent to which different constitutional systems make possible the 'presidentialization' of political parties. The authors show that 'presidentialization' rarely obtains unless the system is institutionally presidential, yet it is important as well to consider specific organizational features of parties which shape the extent of executive dominance over other actors within a party. This book will be essential reading for those concerned with party politics in modern democracies." - Matthew S. Shugart, University of California, Davis, USA Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 List of Figures and Tables 10 Preface 12 Acknowledgments 14 Notes on Contributors 17 Glossary (parties included in the research) 21 1 Parties’ Genetic Features: The Missing Link in the Presidentialization of Parties 27 2 The Presidentialization of Parties in Chile 52 3 The Presidentialization of American Political Parties 75 4 Political Parties: The Case of Brazil 93 5 The Presidentialization of Dominant Parties in France 114 6 Poland: The Presidentialization of Parties in a Young Democracy 133 7 Party Presidentialization in Ukraine 150 8 The Presidentialization of Party Politics in the UK 168 9 The Presidentialization of Parties in Australia 186 10 The Presidentialization of Political Parties in Germany 204 11 The Partial Presidentialization of Parties in Japan 222 12 The Absence of Party Presidentialization in Italy 241 13 The Presidentialization of Parties: Why, When, Where 261 References 290 Index 313 Front Matter....Pages i-xxv Parties’ Genetic Features: The Missing Link in the Presidentialization of Parties....Pages 1-25 The Presidentialization of Parties in Chile....Pages 26-48 The Presidentialization of American Political Parties....Pages 49-66 Political Parties: The Case of Brazil....Pages 67-87 The Presidentialization of Dominant Parties in France....Pages 88-106 Poland: The Presidentialization of Parties in a Young Democracy....Pages 107-123 Party Presidentialization in Ukraine....Pages 124-141 The Presidentialization of Party Politics in the UK....Pages 142-159 The Presidentialization of Parties in Australia....Pages 160-177 The Presidentialization of Political Parties in Germany....Pages 178-195 The Partial Presidentialization of Parties in Japan....Pages 196-214 The Absence of Party Presidentialization in Italy....Pages 215-234 The Presidentialization of Parties: Why, When, Where....Pages 235-263 Back Matter....Pages 264-300 This book considers why the level of party presidentialization varies from one country to another, and how constitutional structures and party genetics affect both the level and the degree it is present. Presenting an international collection of case studies from the US, Latin America, Australia, Japan and Europe, including France, Italy, Germany, Poland and the Ukraine, it examines how the presence of presidential features in political parties varies in terms of the constitutional framework. Highlights the importance of institutions in political life, the case studies provide empirical evidence that no stable presidentialization is possible outside regimes where a presidential dynamic is introduced by the institutions.-- Provided by Publisher