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The Origins and Strengths of Regional Parties

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  • BRANCATI, DAWN

Abstract

Traditional explanations of the origins of regional parties as the products of regionally-based social cleavages cannot fully account for the variation in regional party strength both within and across countries. This unexplained variance can be explained, however, by looking at institutions, and in particular, political decentralization. This argument is tested with a statistical analysis of thirty-seven democracies around the world from 1945 to 2002. The analysis shows that political decentralization increases the strength of regional parties in national legislatures, independent of the strength of regional cleavages, as well as of various features of a country's political system, such as fiscal decentralization, presidentialism, electoral proportionality, cross-regional voting laws and the sequencing of executive and legislative elections.

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  • Brancati, Dawn, 2008. "The Origins and Strengths of Regional Parties," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 38(1), pages 135-159, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:bjposi:v:38:y:2008:i:01:p:135-159_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Devin K. Joshi, 2012. "The Impact of India’s Regional Parties on Voter Turnout and Human Development," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 7(2), pages 139-160, October.
    2. Mihir Bhattacharya, 2018. "A model of electoral competition between national and regional parties," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 30(3), pages 335-357, July.
    3. J. Stephen Ferris & Bharatee Bhusana Dash, 2023. "On the structure of the political party system in Indian states, 1957–2018," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 1-35, March.
    4. Arjan H. Schakel, 2016. "Minority Rules: Electoral Systems, Decentralization, & Ethnoregional Party Success, by David Lublin," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 46(4), pages 1-6.
    5. Ignacio Lago & Carlos Lago‐Peñas & Santiago Lago‐Peñas, 2019. "Decentralization and Football," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 100(1), pages 163-175, February.
    6. Cabaleiro Casal, Roberto & Buch Gómez, Enrique J. & Vaamonde Liste, Antonio, 2014. "Financial Situation And Political Parties In Local Governments: Empirical Evidence In The Spanish Municipalities / Situación Financiera Y Partidos Políticos En Los Gobiernos Locales: Evidencia Empíric," Investigaciones Europeas de Dirección y Economía de la Empresa (IEDEE), Academia Europea de Dirección y Economía de la Empresa (AEDEM), vol. 20(3), pages 110-121.
    7. Ailsa Henderson & Nicola McEwen, 2015. "Regions as Primary Political Communities: A Multi-Level Comparative Analysis of Turnout in Regional Elections," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 45(2), pages 189-215.
    8. Ignacio Lago & André Blais, 2018. "Decentralization And Electoral Swings," International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU paper1804, International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.
    9. Francesc Amat & Toni Rodon, 2021. "Institutional Commitment Problems and Regional Autonomy: The Catalan Case," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(4), pages 439-452.
    10. K.K. Kailash & Balveer Arora, 2016. "Federal Coalitions in India: Strategic Calculations and Revolving-door Partners," Studies in Indian Politics, , vol. 4(1), pages 63-76, June.
    11. Ignacio Lago & André Blais, 2017. "Decentralization and electoral swings," Working Papers. Collection B: Regional and sectoral economics 1702, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    12. Susumu Shikano & Dominic Nyhuis, 2019. "The effect of incumbency on ideological and valence perceptions of parties in multilevel polities," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 181(3), pages 331-349, December.
    13. Makarin, Alexey & Piqué, Ricardo & Aragón, Fernando, 2020. "National or sub-national parties: Does party geographic scope matter?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    14. Santiago Lago-Peñas & Agnese Sacchi & Pablo Simon-Cosano, 2014. "Who honor the rules of federalism? Party system nationalization and fiscal performance," Working Papers. Collection A: Public economics, governance and decentralization 1409, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    15. Grigorii V Golosov, 2016. "Party system nationalisation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Empirical evidence and an explanatory model," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 19(3), pages 231-248, September.
    16. David Lublin, 2022. "Extreme events, decentralization and the number of parties," Working Papers. Collection A: Public economics, governance and decentralization 2211, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    17. Ignacio Lago & André Blais, 2018. "Decentralization and electoral swings," Working Papers. Collection A: Public economics, governance and decentralization 1805, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    18. Hazama, Yasushi, 2014. "Minority type matters : ethnic diversity and tolerance in 29 European democracies," IDE Discussion Papers 442, Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization(JETRO).

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