Author： Boucek Francoise
Publisher： Routledge Ltd
ISSN： 1568-0258
Source： Perspectives on European Politics and Society, Vol.3, Iss.3, 2002-12, pp. : 453-493
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Abstract
Despite sketchy evidence, little comparative data, and evolving public expectations, patterns of intra-party behaviour in East Europe show signs of converging with those of West European political parties. This chapter first analyses the conceptual meanings of party coherence, factionalism, and voters' perceptions and expectations of party unity. It questions whether transition to democracy in late twentieth century Eastern Europe created exceptional conditions in the way that parties organise their internal affairs, thereby creating different incentive structures from those of political parties in advanced industrial democracies. Secondly, different institutions such as electoral systems, procedural legislative devices, and intra-party decisional arrangements are examined to assess how they shape intra-party behaviour. Thirdly, the effects on party cohesion of electoral systems are analysed in detail through case studies. These are single-member plurality rule in the UK, preferential voting in multi-seat districts in pre-1991 Italy, the single non-transferable vote in multi-seat constituencies in pre-1994 Japan, and mixed member systems in Eastern Europe and in post-reform Italy and Japan. Because intraparty actors are rational they adapt their behaviour to the institutional environment in which they compete. Hence, differentiated patterns of intra-party behaviour have developed under different institutional regimes in Europe.
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