Expert Interpretations of Party Space and Party Locations in 42 Societies

In: Party politics: an international journal for the study of political parties and political organizations, Band 1, Heft 1, S. 73-111

Abstract

Argues that recent & substantial global changes -- particularly the demise of communism, the development of new democracies, & new conflicts over environmental & immigration issues in advanced industrial societies -- raise questions about the meaning & importance of Right-Left ideology. Drawing on 1993 questionnaire data from 343 political scholars in 42 countries, examined are (1) the use of Right & Left language, (2) the existence of secondary dimensions orthogonal to the Left-Right dimension of political conflict, & (3) issues defining Left-Right ideology. Empirical data on the Left-Right domains of political parties in the 42 countries are also presented. It is concluded that, although the Left-Right dimension can be located in most political systems, its connotations differ according to a society's political & economic conditions. 4 Tables, 2 Appendixes, 33 References. M. Grounds