Policy Positions, Issue Importance, and Party Competition in New Democracies

Abstract

This article examines the dynamics of vote redistribution after new party entry in the context of East European democracies. Contrary to the dominant institutional and sociological approaches, the author focuses on the (strategic) policy choices of the new contestants. The author argues that a new party's choice about where to place itself in relation to existing parties and which issues to emphasize can determine its electoral success or failure. Aggregate and individual-level analyses confirm this argument. The findings underline the importance of policy-based party competition in the region. As a broader theoretical contribution, the study underscores the relevance of issue importance, and not just party issue positions, in political competition.