West European Politics in the Age of Globalization

Over the past three decades the effects of globalization and denationalization have created a division between 'winners' and 'losers' in Western Europe. This study examines the transformation of party political systems in six countries (Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK) using opinion surveys, as well as newly collected data on election campaigns. The authors argue that, as a result of structural transformations and the strategic repositioning of political parties, Europe has observed the emergence of a tripolar configuration of political power, comprising the left, the moderate right, and the new populist right. They suggest that, through an emphasis on cultural issues such as mass immigration and resistance to European integration, the traditional focus of political debate - the economy - has been downplayed or reinterpreted in terms of this new political cleavage. This new analysis of Western European politics will interest all students of European politics and political sociology. • Uses original data to take a fresh look at national elections, showing a new political landscape in Europe • Features six country studies: Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK • Easily comparable graphs provide non-technical access to complex results

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Reviews:

'This book provides the best analysis I have seen of the political repercussions of globalization for voters, for political parties, and for the structure of political competition. The authors explain why different countries experience globalization in different ways, and they underpin their conclusions with an impressive diversity of data. A tour de force that will shape the study of European politics for years to come.' - Gary Marks, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and Free University of Amsterdam '…this book is both theoretically fruitful and methodologically innovative. It raises many interesting research questions and it should spur future work … This book should appeal to scholars of party systems, political parties, electoral politics and globalization.' - The Journal of Politics '… warmly welcomed … the book makes an impressive and stimulating contribution to the extant literature and will be of interest to comparativists and national specialists alike.' - Political Studies Review

Part I. Theory and Methods 1. Globalization and its impact on national spaces of competition 2. Contexts of party mobilization 3. The design of the study: the distinguishing characteristics of our approach Part II. Country Studies 4. France: the model case of party system transformation 5. Austria: transformation driven by an established party 6. Switzerland: another case of transformation driven by an established party 7. The Netherlands: a challenge that was slow in coming 8. The United Kingdom: moving parties in a stable configuration 9. Germany: the dog that didn't bark Part III. Comparative Analyses 10. Demand side: dealignment and realignment of the structural political potentials 11. Supply side: the positioning of the political parties in a restructuring space 12. The electoral consequences of the integration-demarcation cleavage 13. Globalizing West European politics: the change of cleavage structures, parties and party systems in comparative perspective