Party Change

The chapter sets the theoretical and conceptual basis for the analysis of party change from a cross-national comparative perspective. It starts with the central arguments in the literature on party change: the broad agreement that change occurs, followed by the debate that revolves around its depth and meaning. Are parties declining or adapting? Next, it explains the tendency in the literature to overlook cross-national variance. Finally, it outlines the approach adopted in this book: its emphasis on cross-national variance rather than on a generalized trend; the dozen indicators that are used to map the various aspects of party change; and the methodological barriers to conducting research on longitudinal cross-national variance and how we will overcome them. Finally, it presents indicators that were not included in the analysis, explains why they were left out, and assesses the “cost” of their exclusion.