ABSTRACT

This edited collection, in honour of the late political scientist Peter Mair, contains original chapters that are directly linked to his theoretical and/or methodological ideas and approaches.

Peter Mair demonstrated that political parties have traditionally been central actors in European politics and an essential focus of comparative European political science. Though the nature of political parties and the manner in which they operate has been subject to significant change in recent decades, parties remain a crucial factor in the working of European liberal democracies. This volume analyses recent developments and current challenges that European parties, party systems and democracy face.

The volume will be of key interest to students and scholars of comparative politics, democracy studies, political parties, and European politics and European Union studies.

chapter 1|16 pages

Introduction

Political parties in changing democracies

part 1|63 pages

Comparative and national politics

chapter 2|15 pages

Mapping definitions of feudalism

A conceptual analysis

chapter 3|16 pages

Filling the void?

The politics of institutional reforms in times of democratic crisis in Ireland

part 2|50 pages

Political parties and party systems

chapter 6|18 pages

The attitudinal implications of the cartel party thesis

Ideological convergence and political efficacy in contemporary democracies

chapter 7|16 pages

Conflict regulation in political parties

Organizational and legal dimensions

chapter 8|14 pages

Party system institutionalization

A travelling framework?

part 3|63 pages

European Union

part 4|66 pages

(The future) of party democracy

chapter 13|16 pages

Hollower democracy?

Studying the consequences of a changing demos

chapter 14|14 pages

How parties self-define

Party functions in European party legislation

chapter 15|15 pages

Non-majoritarian institutions

A challenge for liberal democracy?