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Inter-party Competition in Advanced Democracies

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  • Kaare Strom

Abstract

Political competition, and especially inter-party competition, is a key concept in liberal democratic thought. This article develops three conceptions (or dimensions) of inter-party competition: (1) Contestability, (2) Conflict of Interest and (3) Performance Sensitivity. Each dimension is operationalized, and comparative time series data are presented for 15 advanced democracies, 1950-87. Inter-party competition is shown to vary mostly between countries, but also inter-temporally. The second part of the article investigates socio-demographic, economic and organizational explanations of cross-national differences in inter-party competition. A causal model based on these theories is specified and estimated. The model yields stronger results for contestability and performance sensitivity than for conflict of interest. Finally, possible consequences of inter-party competition for individuals, organizations and political systems are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Kaare Strom, 1989. "Inter-party Competition in Advanced Democracies," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 1(3), pages 277-300, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jothpo:v:1:y:1989:i:3:p:277-300
    DOI: 10.1177/0951692889001003002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Bharatee Bhusana, Ferris, J Stephen Dash & Stanley L. Winer, 2018. "Measuring Electoral Competitiveness: With Application to the Indian States," CESifo Working Paper Series 7216, CESifo.
    2. Albert Solé Ollé, 2005. "The effects of party competition on budget outcomes: Empirical evidence from local governments in Spain," Working Papers 2005/2, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    3. Marta Curto‐Grau & Albert Solé‐Ollé & Pilar Sorribas‐Navarro, 2017. "Does electoral competition curb party favoritism?," Working Papers 2017/04, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).

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