ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies parties previously considered to belong to the Conservative party family. It discusses Conservative ideology – a combination of right-wing economic ideas and cultural conservatism – and moves on to use Chapel Hill Expert Survey data to test whether the parties previously identified as Conservative 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 Conservative parties. These parties’ electoral strengths and government participation patterns are then described and discussed. Finally, the supporters of these parties are described and discussed in terms of both their social background and their political attitudes.
