Publication
Title
Friction and party manifesto change in 25 countries, 1945-98
Author
Abstract
Political processes are affected by "friction." Due to cognitive limitations and institutional delays, political agendas do not adapt smoothly to real-world impulses; political agendas either ignore them or overreact. The first question this article tackles is whether the same punctuated change process can be observed in party manifestos. Secondly, it examines whether there are differences across political systems and across party lines. Thirdly, the study tries to account for differences in the degree of "punctuatedness" of party manifestos. Drawing on the vast dataset of the Manifesto Research Group, the article shows that party manifestos are indeed characterized by friction and resistance to change; it also establishes that there are considerable differences in frictional patterns between parties and political systems; and it finds that electoral fragmentation, government participation, and electoral volatility are key to understanding these differences.
Language
English
Source (journal)
American journal of political science. - Boston
Publication
Boston : 2009
ISSN
0092-5853
DOI
10.1111/J.1540-5907.2008.00365.X
Volume/pages
53 :1 (2009) , p. 190-206
ISI
000261974300012
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 24.02.2009
Last edited 25.05.2022
To cite this reference