Abstract
Multipartism as a basic feature of the party systems of European democracies is an undeniable fact, but there is serious disagreement among scholars about the implications of multipartism for political stability. Although none of the West European polities could be described as a strict two-party system, there is at the same time considerable variation within the set of multiparty systems. What are the implications of multipartism for political stability? According to one often repeated argument, the variation in multipartism is accompanied by a variation in political stability as multipartism is considered a major cause of political instability. The opposite argument is to deny that multipartism is conducive to political stability.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Almond, G.A. (1956). “Comparing Political Systems”, Journal of Politics, 17, 391–409.
Blondel, J. (1968). “Party Systems and Patterns of Government in Western Democracies”, Canadian Journal of Political Science 1, 180–203.
Butler, D. and A. Ranney (eds)(1978). Referendum: A Comparative Study of Practice and Theory. Washington: American Enterprise Institute.
Daalder, H. (1971). “Cabinets and Party Systems in Ten Smaller European Democracies”, Acta Politica, 6, 282–303.
Dodd, L.C. (1976). Coalitions in Parliamentary Government. Princeton: Princeton U.P.
Hurwitz, L. (1972). “Democratic Political Stability: Some Traditional Hypotheses Reexamined”, Comparative Political Studies, 4, 476–490.
Lane, J.E. and S. Ersson (1986). Politics and Society in Western Europe. London: Sage.
Lijphart, A. (1979). “Consociation and Federation: Conceptual and Empirical Links”, Canadian Journal of Political Science, 12, 499–515.
Lijphart, A. (1984a). Democracies: Patterns of Majoritarian and Consensus Government in Twenty-One Countries. New Haven: Yale U.P.
Lijphart, A. (1984b). “Measures of Cabinet Durability: A Conceptual and Empirical Evaluation”, Comparative Political Studies, 17, 265–279.
Lijphart, A. (1985). “The Field of Electoral Systems Research: A Critical Survey”, Electoral Studies, 4, 3–14.
Lowell, A.L. (1896). Governments and Parties in Continental Europe. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard U.P.
Mackie, T. and R. Rose (1982). The International Almanac of Electoral History. 2nd ed. London: Macmillan.
Pindyck, R.S. and D.L. Rubinfeld (1981). Econometric Models and Economic Forecasts. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw Hill.
Powell, G.B. (1982). Contemporary Democracies: Participation, Stability and Violence. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard U.P.
Rae, D. (1971). The Political Consequences of Electoral Laws. New Haven: Yale Y.P.
Sanders, D. and V. Herman (1977). “The Stability and Survival of Governments in Western Democracies”, Acta Politica, 12, 346–377.
Sartori, G. (1976). Parties and Party Systems: A Framework for Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge U.P.
Schmitter, P.C. (1981). “Interest Intermediation and Regime Governability in Contemporary Western Europe and North America”, in Berger, S. (ed) Organizing Interests in Western Europe: Pluralism, Corporatism, and the Transformation of Politics. Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 285–327.
Stephens, M. (1976). Linguistic Minorities in Western Europe. Llandysul: Corner Press.
Taylor, C.L. and M. Hudson (1972). World Handbook of Social and Political Indicators. 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale U.P.
Taylor, M. and V.H. Herman (1971). “Party Systems and Government Stability”, American Political Science Review, 65, 28–37.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1987 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lane, JE., Ersson, S. (1987). Multipartism. In: Holler, M.J. (eds) The Logic of Multiparty Systems. International Studies in Economics and Econometrics, vol 17. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3607-2_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3607-2_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8114-6
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-3607-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive