The question “What moves parties?” has gained a lot of attention in the past years, and many empirical studies have offered explanations for ideological moves. Public opinion as one explanation truly serves the common sense that parties are responsible. Nevertheless, the type of party or competitor behaviour have been found to influence policy moves, which indicates that parties pursue their own goals. The difference between government or opposition parties seems to equally matter as the internal structure of parties, their previous electoral performance or a change in party leadership. Furthermore, some concerns have been raised that question to what extent domestic politics is (still) domestic. Economic globalization and Europeanization, as the argument proceeds, either put an indirect pressure on parties by a detour via electoral politics or constrain the “menu” parties can choose from in a more direct way. The course will introduce students to the debate of what moves parties. Students will be enabled to critically assess the theoretical attempts, which have been put forward to summarize the empirical evidence into a coherent theoretical framework, and to discuss the implications of the empirical results for the understanding of party behavior.
Mandatory Readings:
Adams, James. 2012. “Causes and Electoral Consequences of Party Policy Shifts in Multiparty Elections: Theoretical Results and Empirical Evidence.” Annual Review of Political Science 15 (1): 401–19.
Fagerholm, Andreas. 2015. “Why Do Political Parties Change their Policy Positions? A Review.” Political Studies Review: Published online February 12, 2015.