Evolution of Party Systems: New Point of Bifurcation?

Abstract

In face of the relative success of the right and left populists, among representatives of the intellectual elite on the West arose a conviction – in order to restore the liberal order and prevent the final victory of populists, traditional parties will have to make not only rebranding. They must develop policies through which globalization can serve the middle and working class. In fact, the problem is even wider than the opposition to the right and left populists. The transformation of party systems takes place in the context of the effects of globalization, generating new lines of social tensions and divisions in society (including “globalized elite” – “anti-globalistminded masses” opposition); under framework of democracy deficit, when a significant part of the electorate of developed Western countries clearly realizes that they “can change the government, but not the policy” and from time to time under the influence of situational factors involve in the “protest voting”, in support of alternative to political establishment political forces; in the context of fragmentation of the political field due to the crisis of “Grand ideological narratives” and the appearance of so called “molecular ideologies” and “one question” parties. Entering the political arena in a number of countries of the far right and far left forces is rather situational, but it becomes a consequence of the current crisis trends – the migration crisis, terrorism, economic recession. The rise of populist parties of all kinds (right, left, right- left) has its limits. But the process of party systems adaptation to a new type of conflict between the globalized postmodern elites and the majority of “nationalized” citizens of national states is only developing now (both in developed and developing countries). The question is in which degree the party and political systems of different countries are ready to it and how the modern political elites are flexible and adaptive to a new political challenge.