Extreme events, decentralisation and the effective number of parties

Abstract

ABSTRACT An examination of eleven Western democracies reveals that widespread crises like the Great Recession and COVID-19 spurred increases in the number of parties with the effect of the recession proportional to its depth. The impact of these crises, however, depended upon the level and the type of regional decentralisation. Regions with stronger autonomous control over their own affairs – known as self-rule – had fewer additional parties than regions with little internal power. In contrast, regions that possess powers giving them greater influence over central government actions – known as shared rule – saw a greater increase in the number of parties than regions lacking these powers.