The global economic crisis has changed the nature of contemporary democracies, discuss.

Question 1

who said “democracy thrives on support and withers in its absence?

Answer 1

Kroknes 2013

Question 2

Finish Kronkes 2013 quote … “people trust governments more if they have shown a capacity to generate economic growth create…

Answer 2

jobs, provide access to social services and perform in a transparent manner”

Question 3

Streeck 2011 said that no government today can govern without?

Answer 3

“no government today can govern without paying close attention to international constraints and obligations”

(includes compliance to “financial markets” and therefore forces the state into imposing “sacrifices on its own population”

• people feel increasingly that governments are unaccountable to their needs

Question 4

Who argued that within Europe “left right divide is now finally losing coherence”, “the entire foundation of the party government / responsible parties model is undermined”

Answer 4

Peter Mair 2007

He adds “convergence is the anathema to partisan politics”

Question 5

name two convergence theories

Answer 5

• Duverger’s law

- Downsian convergence theory

Question 6

What did Kriesi and Hernandez find in 2015?

Answer 6

• in Europe the mandate of incumbent powers has been damaged since 2008 by the financial crisis

Question 7

quote from Whitely 2010

Answer 7

“party activism and membership have been declining across most of the democratic world” (thus forcing parties more towards the state to survive)

Question 8

What is the cartel party thesis?

Answer 8

“symbiotic” relationship with the state
the party ensures its own survival despite growing detachment to society

• it represents a means of drawing attention to patterns of internal party collusion or cooperation as well as competition and as a way to emphasise the influence of the state on party development

Question 9

How many nations did Kroknes find to be experiencing decreased levels of support for governments among citizens (including Germany and the UK)

Answer 9

• 15 of 25

Question 10

Wallace 2016 shows Kriesie finding that there has been a general rise in non electoral forms of political mobilisation

Answer 10

• lowest electoral turnout in the US election 2016 for nearly two decades (Wallace, 2016)

Question 11

What populist leaders have made gains?

Answer 11

• Trump, Le Pen, Hoffer, Wilders

Question 12

what did Inglehart and Norris conclude about populist anti establishment movement?

Answer 12

• populist parties have successfully entered coalitions in “eleven western democracies” including Austria, Switzerland and Italy
• doubled average vote share in national and European party elections since the 60s (from approximately 5.1% to 13.2%. In the same era they have tripled their vote share of seats in Europe from 3.8% to 12.8%

Question 13

what did Parlgov data find?

Answer 13

• across 34 OECD nations average vote share of populist parties has increased from approximately 5% between 1970-79 to an excess of 7.5% between 2010 and 2016

Question 14

ho did Norris note gains for?

Answer 14

• Swiss peoples party, Austrian freedom party, Swedish democrats and Danish peoples party
• Trump, Evo Morales (Bolivia), Hugo Chaves (Venezuela)