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http://hdl.handle.net/1956/1906
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| Title: | Shifting parties, constant cleavage : party system formation along the urban-rural cleavage in post-communist Lithuania |
| Authors: | Lie, Svenn Arne |
| Issue Date: | May-2006 |
| Publisher: | The University of Bergen |
| Abstract: | When studying the party system formation in post-communist Lithuania, the Western
European theoretical framework is a useful, although not sufficient tool to understand this
process. Weak alignments between voters and parties and unstable party systems have made it
difficult to apply the Western European theoretical framework because it prerequisites a high
degree of party institutionalisation. In addition to unstable electoral support for the established
parties, new parties successfully emerge, but disappear, then change name, splinter and merge
with other parties.
This thesis introduces the Reversed cleavage model, which is an attempt to study cleavages in
a post-communist setting, exemplified with the urban-rural cleavage in Lithuania. Instead of
focusing upon continuous representation of political parties, the Reversed cleavage model
applies cleavage continuity as a point of departure. The unstable party system in Lithuania is
thereby not related to voters’ missing perception of cleavages, but to the parties’ inability to
establish long-lasting alignments with the electorate. Party system formation along the urbanrural
cleavage in post-communist Lithuania, is explained by shifting parties and constant
cleavage. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1956/1906 |
| Appears in Collections: | Department of Comparative Politics (Various)
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