The Dynamics of Party Politics in Hard Times and Challenging Contexts

For many years political parties have taken the lead in the list of the least trusted institutions all around the world. Yet, this has not changed the fact that they are the key actors of politics in diverse contexts, from democratic to semi-democratic, to undemocratic and authoritarian regimes. As such, they are the central agents of political life that face, create, or address the unresolved social, political and economic challenges of modern times. This essential role has turned political parties into dynamic forces that evolve and transform constantly – responding to crises whether they be social, economic or political. This section, endorsed by the ECPR Standing Group on Political Parties, welcomes panels and papers that aim to capture the dynamism of party politics in ‘hard times’ and challenging contexts. Examples include, but are not limited to, the rise of far-right movements, increased disaffection from mainstream politics, the decline of party membership, the rise of populist authoritarian or strongman politics, democratic backsliding, the upsurge of protest movements and the competitive challenge posed by alternate avenues for political expression, such as advocacy groups and direct democracy. We envisage that Panel and Paper proposals will engage with a range of key questions across multiple political contexts. Democratic regimes: What are the new issue dimensions that emerge in advanced democracies? What new methods do political parties adopt to integrate new politics? How do they manage to aggregate new demands into politics? Which novel strategies do parties employ to attract voters, particularly young voters? How does the rise of far-right/new political parties affect the party competition and change the political landscape? How do parties respond to the constant decline of mainstream politics? To what extent does the party government model still capture the workings of party politics? How does the professionalization of political parties influence political competition? Are parties in need of reform and what are the dynamics of such a process? What new channels are there for parties to redesign their linkage with voters, supporters and members? What is the role of deliberative practices in party reform? How do parties manage these challenges in multilevel contexts? Semi-democratic/hybrid regimes: How do party politics function in semi-democratic regimes? How do government-opposition dynamics differ from democratic regimes? What are the dynamics of opposition? What determines the competitiveness of hybrid regimes? What role does political party assistance play to increase the competitiveness of these regimes? How should political party assistance operate to strengthen democratic practices? What role do parties play in the emergence and longevity of hybrid regimes? What type of party systems emerges in hybrid contexts? How should we study party politics in the semi-democratic regimes? Non-democratic or authoritarian regimes: What role do parties play in authoritarian settings? How does the party machine function to stabilize authoritarian regimes? What mechanisms the single-party use to maintain authoritarian regimes? How does party organization differ from that in democratic settings? What are the chances of opposition movements? How do the protest movements translate into opposition politics? How does the single-party control the mobilization? What are the dynamics of the party-society relationship under authoritarian settings? How does the single-party control its dominance over the political system? How do the local politics function under authoritarian settings? What role do local politics play in organizing opposition? This Section will feature both theoretical and empirical contributions, which will unpack the dynamics of party politics in hard times under diverse contexts. We encourage Panels and Papers that aim to enhance party scholarship by researching the changing parameters of party politics in all types of regimes. We are particularly interested in Panels and Papers that analyze this transformation of political parties in three key areas: the party in the electorate, the party organization, and the party in office (both government and opposition). We welcome different approaches and methodologies, including conceptual, comparative and case study analyses as well as the employment of both qualitative and quantitative methods. We encourage Panel and Paper proposals from established and emerging scholars (doctoral students and early career researchers) from all regions. Our Section is committed to the ECPR’s Gender Equity Plan (August 2018) and we encourage gender equity within Panels, paper givers, Chairs and Discussants.