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This study enriches and updates the theoretical debate on party change with detailed empirical research on Portuguese political parties. By examining the evolution of political parties in this recent democracy, this work raises new points about party transformations and provides insights relevant to all scholars of the political process.

Abstract
This article examines party system change in Italy after the emergence of the economic crisis, focusing on the radical shift experienced with the 2013 general elections. By considering several indicators such as party system fragmentation, electoral volatility, issues of competition and patterns of government, this study provides a systematic and comprehensive assessment of the main dimensions of change and continuity experienced by the Italian party system over the last decades. The article argues that the economic crisis was only partially responsible for the instability of the party system, while long-term factors of erosion were crucial to foster party system change. In particular, the crisis of party organizations contributed to the success of new actors, the regeneration of party leadership and the emergence of new patterns of government. The Italian case thus offers interesting insights on the concept of party system deinstitutionalization and on the interaction between institutional change, party strategies and electoral dynamics.

The aim of this article is to analyze the current characteristics and dynamics of the Italian political system, focussing on the main patterns of continuity and change that emerged after the 2013 legislative elections. The disintegration of the centre-right coalition, the emergence of new political forces, as well as the rise of new leaders have profoundly reshaped the Italian party system. On the other hand, the economic crisis has reinforced negative attitudes towards democratic institutions and the main political actors. These phenomena have led to an extremely fluid political system and an uncertain future, which has been aggravated by a never-ending debate on institutional reforms. Adapted from the source document.

Scholars have emphasized the decline of party membership and a decrease in party activism. Yet these general patterns hide a diversity of party members with distinct profiles, attitudes and behavior. Using Portugal as a case study, this article examines the heterogeneity of party members based on the different motivations for joining the party and distinct levels of involvement. The findings support previous typologies that distinguished between more activist versus more passive party members. The results also suggest that different party types present a distinct proportion of the two types of affiliates. In addition, these two types of members display distinct levels of ideological congruence with the party.

UID/CPO/04627/2013 PTDC/IVC-CPO/1864/2014. ; The paper examines the relationship between Euroscepticism and ideology in Western European countries and focuses on how this relationship is mediated by party system characteristics and partisanship. Additionally, we explore some distinctive national patterns in the relationship between Euroscepticism and ideology by focusing on four South European countries (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece), which despite their similar historical and social trajectories, as well as common experiences during the euro crisis in relation to the other Western European nations, they deviate in different ways from the European-wide pattern of interaction between ideology and Euroscepticism. Using data from the European Election Study of 2014 and the Chapel Hill Expert Survey, we show that the relationship between ideology and Euroscepticism can be heavily influenced by characteristics at the level of the party system, such as degree of party system polarization and the levels of supply of left-wing and right-wing Euroscepticism, as well as individual party legacies that can filter the ideology-Euroscepticism relationship through the influence of partisanship. Our findings highlight the importance of parties and party leadership in the future development of Euroscepticism within European polities as evidenced by the distinct national trajectories of Euroscepticism. Political entrepreneurs have the power to directly or indirectly politicize the issue of Europe and to help determine the overall level of Euroscepticism within a specific polity by providing cues to the electorate and mainly to their core partisans. ; publishersversion ; published

Abstract

UID/CPO/04627/2013 SFRH/BD/87140/2012 SFRH/BD/92180/2013 ; What affects the prospects of candidates in open intra-party elections? This research article examines the determinants of candidate performance in the first open party primaries conducted by LIVRE, a newly emerged Portuguese party, in 2015. This innovative process of candidate selection allowed individuals from outside the party not only to vote but also to run for office. Through the construction of an original dataset and the use of social network analysis, this study shows that centrality in the network of endorsements has a significant impact on the probability to be selected in party lists. Our findings shed additional light on the determinants of success in candidate selection and open new insights into the dynamics behind party primaries. ; preprint ; published