What Moves Parties?

TLDR

The study investigates whether Western European parties shift ideology in response to public opinion and global economic changes. The authors analyze 1976‑1998 data from eight Western European democracies, examining how public opinion and global economic shifts influence party ideology, with effects moderated by party type. Center and right‑wing parties adjust to public opinion and economic changes, whereas left‑wing parties largely ignore public opinion and are less responsive to economic shifts, challenging neoliberal convergence theories and underscoring leftist parties’ distinct policy and organizational orientations.

Abstract

Do Western European political parties adjust their ideological positions in response to shifts in public opinion and to changing global economic conditions? Based on a time-series, cross-sectional analysis of parties' ideological dynamics in eight Western European democracies from 1976-1998, the authors conclude that both factors influence parties' ideological positions but that this relationship is mediated by the type of party. Specifically, they find that parties of the center and right react to both public opinion and the global economy, whereas parties of the left display no discernible tendency to respond to public opinion and also appear less responsive to global economic conditions. The findings on leftist parties' distinctiveness support arguments about these parties' long-term policy orientations as well as about their organizational structures. The authors also find little support for neoliberal convergence arguments.