Why Regional Parties?: Clientelism, Elites, and the Indian Party System

ISBN-13: 9781107546813 / Angielski / Miękka / 2018 / 308 str.

Adam Ziegfeld

Opis

The first major study of India's regional parties which discusses why, when, and where they are electorally successful.

Recenzje

'Why do regional parties emerge and thrive in certain countries but not others? How does their rise affect levels of democratic representation and accountability within developing democracies? In this fascinating and valuable study, Ziegfeld argues that regional parties do not emerge because disappointed voters demand alternatives to poorly performing national parties. Instead, regional parties are deliberately crafted by political elites because of advantages such formations enjoy within decentralized, clientelistic, and fragmented electoral arenas across the developing world. Ziegfeld's argument is primarily based on meticulous research from India, from which he skillfully derives broader insights for understanding this important, yet understudied, class of political parties. The book thus deserves attention from scholars broadly interested in political parties, elections, and clientelism, as well as those specifically concerned with the maturation of the world's largest democracy.' Tariq Thachil, Yale University, Connecticut

Spis treści

1. Introduction; 2. Definitions and description - regional political parties in India; 3. Theory - clientelism, elites, and regional parties; 4. Evidence - elites and regional party success in India; 5. Cross-national variation - clientelism and institutions; 6. India's successful regional parties - the costs of building national parties; 7. Longitudinal variation in India - coalition government and the rise of regional parties; 8. Subnational variation in India - factional sorting and elite divisions; 9. Conclusion.