Suchergebnisse

The existing comparative literature focuses on political institutions to explain party unity in parliament, and largely ignores the role of party characteristics in this process. This study argues that the strength of political party organization directly and independently influences the level of party unity. Organizational strength makes the party a valuable asset to individual legislators, thus increasing their willingness to be disciplined. Therefore, parties with strong organizations are likely to be more unified in parliament than those with weak organizations. I find support for this argument with data from four post-communist democracies: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, and Poland. Narratives suggest that the proposed causal mechanism is plausible.

WITH THE BREAKDOWN OF THE UNION OF THE LEFT IN 1978, THE FRENCH COMMUNIST PARTY ENTERED A DECADE OF DECLINE. PROSPECTS FOR A COMMUNIST RESURGENCE IN 1988 WERE CRUSHED BY THE POOR SHOWING OF THE COMMUNIST CANDIDATE, ANDRE LAJOINIE, IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

This item is part of the Political & Rights Issues & Social Movements (PRISM) digital collection, a collaborative initiative between Florida Atlantic University and University of Central Florida in the Publication of Archival, Library & Museum Materials (PALMM).