ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies parties previously considered to belong to the Liberal party family. It discusses Liberal ideology – based on the two tenets of economic and individual freedom – and moves on to use Chapel Hill Expert Survey data to test whether the parties previously identified as Liberal do indeed espouse this ideology and thus should be retained as members of the party family or not. Based on this exercise, the chapter suggests an updated classification of contemporary Liberal parties. These parties’ electoral strengths and government participation patterns are then described and discussed. Finally, their supporters are described and discussed in terms of both their social background and their political attitudes.
