Selection Of Party Leaders Research Articles

Selecting party leaders

This article revisits the foundations of previous research on the selection of party leaders. The authors argue that leader selection in party congresses entails two dimensions: fragmentation, or the number of candidates running for leadership, and dissent, or dissatisfaction with the winning candidate. Using original data from 435 regional party congresses of the two main national parties in Germany and Spain, the analysis shows that both the number of contenders and the support received by the winner depend on the party’s experience in government, but only the latter is (positively) affected by the party’s electoral performance. Additionally, upon examining the consequences of intraparty division, it is found that a party’s electoral performance is negatively impacted by the existence of several candidates fighting for leadership, while the support received by the leader in the party congress crucially influences their chances of becoming the top candidate in the next regional election.

Federal-Provincial Variation in Leadership Selection: Processes and Participation

The selection of party leaders has received considerable attention in the last decade. Despite the growing literature, there have been relatively few instances of comparative federal-provincial work in this area. We address this issue by exploring leadership selection patterns both federally and provincially in Canada and include 30 parties represented in national and provincial legislatures across the country. Specifically, we examine three hypotheses using data from 2015: (1) Given the contagion effects identified in the literature, we expect to find a convergence upon a universal selection method; (2) We expect to find the greatest congruence among federal and provincial parties that are organizationally integrated and the least among those that are organizationally truncated; and (3) Contrary to the second-order election thesis, we expect to find no difference in the levels of participation in leadership elections at the provincial and federal level.

Raising a big tent: Internal party composition and leadership selectorate expansion

The trend amongst many parties toward the inclusion of rank-and-file members in the leadership selection process has often been attributed to opposition status and electoral defeat. However, these explanations are typical events for parties and hardly seem sufficient for party elites to willingly cede their authority over the selection of party leaders. This paper proposes that the electoral regionalization of the party contributes to the decision to expand the leadership selectorate. In the event a party is defeated to an extent in which their support is reduced to its regional base, this situation necessitates the bringing in of new voices to avoid further marginalization. This paper finds that regionalization plays a significant role in the decision of parties to expand leadership selectorates and that the role of opposition status and electoral setbacks have been overstated.

The Selection of Party Leaders in Northern Ireland

This article provides an analysis of the leadership selection methods adopted by Northern Ireland's five main parties. Drawing on data from interviews with party elites and internal party documents, it sheds light on an important element of intra-party organisation in the region and constitutes a rare case-study of leadership selection in a consociational democracy. By accounting for instances of organisational reform, this article also reveals the extent to which Northern Ireland's parties align with the wider comparative trend of leadership ‘democratisation’. In terms of ‘who’ selects party leaders, the analysis finds a substantial degree of organisational heterogeneity and a reasonably high rate of democratisation. Northern Ireland's parties also prove rather exceptional in their universal adoption of short fixed terms for party leaders and, in the case of three of the parties, their preference for high candidacy thresholds.

Sense or sensibility? Political attitudes and voting behaviour of party members, voters, and supporters of the Italian centre-left

We consider the effect of primary elections on party membership and electoral behaviour. Direct democracy instruments trigger significant changes in the role and behaviour of grassroots members. The case of the Italian centre-left parties, and particularly the Democratic Party, is in this sense relevant, as for over a decade these parties have been reaching out to supporters in order to include them into decision-making processes, such as the selection of party leaders and candidates to legislative and executive offices. The distinction between members and supporters has blurred. The article focuses on voting behaviour and party attachment of three different groups of primary voters – namely, party members, supporters, and external voters. What is the difference between these three groups with regard to voting behaviour and motivations in primary elections? And what is the difference with regard to voting intentions in general elections? We examine these issues using original survey data collected in 2012 during the centre-left coalition’s primary elections. We highlight the consequences of the differences between members and supporters with regard to their voting behaviour and motivations.

The Selection of Party Leaders in Poland: Democratisation of Rules and Predictability of Results

Abstract The objective of this analysis is to examine political party leadership with reference to the rules and results of its selection process in post-communist Poland. The exploration of these matters is based on qualitative and quantitative data concerning 16 different political parties and 80 selections they conducted in the years 1990-2013. The comprehensive research methods employed for this study ranged from in-depth analysis of particular election results to analysis of constitutional and structural party variations. This extensive investigation enables the reader to draw conclusions about Polish intra-party politics and to understand the vetting processes that Polish politicians must undergo. The findings indicate that political parties tend to address wider selectorates; and that the rules of selection are transparent, democratic, and empirically predictable.

The Rare Event of Choice: Party Primaries in German Land Parties

The selection of party leaders in Germany has traditionally been characterised by elite agreement behind closed doors. Most often, only one single candidate was presented to the conference delegates. Yet things have changed to some degree since the 1990s. First, most parties have introduced statutory reforms at the national level allowing for intra-party plebiscites. At the national level, this has basically remained paperwork. Second, and more interesting for the purposes of this paper, similar reforms have been introduced at the Land level. In an increasing number of cases, Land parties have chosen their party leader or top candidate for Land elections via grassroots participation. What have been the motives for opening up selection procedures and giving members a say? The article points to electoral images and elite stalemates as main drivers of this development. It shows that party primaries contain elements of uncertainty about outcomes which make party elites hesitant to make more extensive use of membership ballots.

Who selects the party leader?

We study the degree of formal influence that rank-and-file members have on the selection of party leaders in the five English-speaking Westminster countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. We find that in recent years there has been a general, though not universal, trend towards granting party members greater influence in the choice of their leader. We observe that the decision to broaden the selectorate has been made by most parties in the UK, Canada and Ireland, while parties in Australia and New Zealand have generally resisted reform. We set out a series of four hypotheses explaining the decisions made by parties in the first three countries. We show that this organizational reform is adopted by parties in opposition, in the aftermath of an electoral setback and by new parties. We also find a strong contagion effect within party systems. Finally, we offer an explanation for why the Australian and New Zealand cases have resulted in less change.

Quasi-democracy?: parties and leadership selection in Alberta

Tables Preface 1. Party Democracy in Alberta? 2. The United Right? Lessons from the 1992 PC Leadership Election 3. Electing the Premier 4. Electronic Fiasco: The 1994 Liberal Tele-Vote 5. A Party of Communities? The 1994 NDP Leadership Convention 6. Gender Differences among Party Activists 7. Democracy, Representation and the Selection of Party Leaders 8. Quasi-Democracy? Lessons from Alberta Appendices Notes References Index

The selection of party leaders in Spain

Abstract. Few parties apart from the PSOE have enjoyed stable and cohesive leaderships. A comparison between the PSOE and the AP/PP shows how much more stable the experience of the former has been. Both elect leaders at delegate congesses, although in practice there is little real involvement by rank and file members. Political culture, cleavages and the role of TV all account for this instability.

Selection of party leaders : A Canadian example

Selection of party leaders : A Canadian example