Lexington Books
Pages: 168
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9¼
978-1-4985-1654-9 • Hardback • December 2015 • $92.00 • (£71.00)
978-1-4985-1655-6 • eBook • December 2015 • $87.00 • (£67.00)
Elin Haugsgjerd Allern is professor of political science at the University of Oslo.
Knut Heidar is professor of political science at the University of Oslo.
Rune Karlsen is research professor at the Institute for Social Research in Oslo.
Chapter 1: Political Parties and Representative Democracy
Chapter 2: Representation by Parties: An Analytical Framework
Chapter 3: Parties’ Representative Capacity—What Do We Know?
Chapter 4: Norwegian Parties—Prospects for Representation
Chapter 5: Participation, Communication, and Influence
Chapter 6: Social Representation
Chapter 7: Policy Representation
Chapter 8: Representative Capacity after the Mass Party
This ambitious study examines political change in Norway to offer more general lessons on the evolution of representative democracy ‘after the mass party.’ Using an unusually rich trove of longitudinal data on Norwegian voters, MPs, conference delegates, and party members, it thoughtfully investigates how—and whether—party organizational change affects congruence between MPs and those whom they represent. This book’s lively engagement with widely-shared theoretical assumptions, and its careful empirical work, make it recommended reading for everyone with an interest in the evolution of political parties in contemporary parliamentary democracies.
— Susan Scarrow, Department Chair of Political Science, University of Houston
Political parties have not lost their function but are alive and kicking. The membership of political parties has declined but in contrast to what is generally believed their capacity to represent the voters has not. Political parties are as representative as ever. This is the surprising conclusion of this book on the development of political parties and representative democracy in Norway. It is a must read for anyone interested in political parties and representative democracy.
— Jacques Thomassen, University of Twente