Party novelty and congruence: a new approach to measuring party change and volatility

Journal article


Sikk, A. and Köker, P. 2017. Party novelty and congruence: a new approach to measuring party change and volatility. Party Politics.
AuthorsSikk, A. and Köker, P.
Abstract

We propose a new three-dimensional approach to party newness and an interval index of party congruence/novelty. Building on that, we also propose a split-vote-by-congruence (SBC) approach to electoral volatility that employs the index. Four elections from different countries that exhibited different forms of party change are used to illustrate the approach. The congruence/novelty index corresponds to our qualitative case knowledge and the SBC approach leads to meaningful volatility scores. Ad hoc coding of parties as new/old or singular successors/predecessors can seriously over- or underestimate volatility that explains divergence among volatility scores in literature. By eliminating the need for dichotomous and often controversial coding decisions, the SBC approach allows for a substantially more reliable calculation of volatility.

KeywordsElectoral coalitions; new parties; party change; splits and mergers; volatility
Year2017
JournalParty Politics
PublisherSAGE
ISSN1354-0688
Related URLhttp://www.philippkoeker.com
Publication dates
Online25 Dec 2017
Publication process dates
Deposited24 Nov 2017
Accepted11 Nov 2017
Accepted author manuscript
Output statusPublished
Permalink -

https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/88683/party-novelty-and-congruence-a-new-approach-to-measuring-party-change-and-volatility

Download files


Accepted author manuscript
  • 39
    total views
  • 174
    total downloads
  • 1
    views this month
  • 1
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

The effects of majority requirements, selectorate composition and uncertainty in indirect presidential elections: The case of Estonia
Köker, P. 2019. The effects of majority requirements, selectorate composition and uncertainty in indirect presidential elections: The case of Estonia. East European Politics. https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2019.1604339
Why dictators veto: legislation, legitimation and control in Kazakhstan and Russia
Köker, P. 2019. Why dictators veto: legislation, legitimation and control in Kazakhstan and Russia. Democratization. 27 (2), pp. 204-223. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2019.1678029
Latvia – Party conflict and presidential initiative in government formation
Köker, P. 2016. Latvia – Party conflict and presidential initiative in government formation. Presidential Power.
Latvia – President Bērziņš and the difficulties of forming a new government
Köker, P. 2013. Latvia – President Bērziņš and the difficulties of forming a new government. Presidential Power.
Presidential activism and veto power in central and eastern Europe
Köker, P. 2017. Presidential activism and veto power in central and eastern Europe. London Palgrave Macmillan.
Corruption studies for the twenty-first century: paradigm shifts and innovative approaches
Ledeneva, A., Bratu, R. and Köker, P. 2017. Corruption studies for the twenty-first century: paradigm shifts and innovative approaches. The Slavonic and East European Review (SEER). 95 (1), pp. 1-20.
Book review: Hloušek, Vít, ed., 2013 Presidents above parties? Presidents in Central and Eastern Europe, their formal competencies and informal power
Köker, P. 2015. Book review: Hloušek, Vít, ed., 2013 Presidents above parties? Presidents in Central and Eastern Europe, their formal competencies and informal power. CEU Political Science Review. 10 (1-2), pp. 147-150.
Book review: Institutional design and party government in post-Communist Europe
Köker, P. 2015. Book review: Institutional design and party government in post-Communist Europe. Europe-Asia Studies. 67 (10), pp. 1727-1728. https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2015.1102511
Book review: Democracy in Poland: representation, participation, competition and accountability since 1989
Köker, P. 2016. Book review: Democracy in Poland: representation, participation, competition and accountability since 1989. East European Politics. 32 (3), pp. 401-402. https://doi.org/10.1080/21599165.2016.1184145
Veto et Peto: Patterns of Presidential Activism in Central and Eastern Europe
Köker, P. 2015. Veto et Peto: Patterns of Presidential Activism in Central and Eastern Europe. PhD Thesis University College London School of Slavonic and East European Studies
Semi-structured elite interviews in a nested analysis framework: studying presidential activism in Central and Eastern Europe
Köker, P. 2014. Semi-structured elite interviews in a nested analysis framework: studying presidential activism in Central and Eastern Europe. SAGE Research Methods Cases. https://doi.org/10.4135/978144627305014534927