Niche, challenger and new parties

12 important questions on Niche, challenger and new parties

How does the entry of representation relates to the entry of new/niche/challenger parties helps the quality of representation?

- good for representation
- but fragmentation
- niche parties do not compromise
- accountability is difficult
- difference between responsiveness and responsibility

What is the spatial theory as it is used in politics?

Parties place themselves on the left-right dimension, in the centre. Because when they place themselves in the centre, they attract the most voters.

Why should we care about new parties?

- large role in agenda-setting
- tell us something about party system change
- change the relationship between voters and parties (volatility)
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Are niche/challenger/new parties a good development?

- they increase political representation, but make the system more fragmented and governing harder
- competition is good
- voters change, thus parties also have to change
- generates however the idea that new issues need new parties
- it is healthy for democracy to have new ideas -> might innovate the system

Why do they claim that challenger parties are successful?

Even if we consider the spatial theory, there is always a gap which challenger parties can use to gain votes

What waves of challenger parties identify De Vries and Hobolt?

- social democrats -> even though their issues are mainstream now, they were very much challenger when they started
- greens -> 1970s onwards
- radical right -> 1980s/1990s/2000s

How do they define mainstream and challenger/niche parties?

Mainstream -> parties that focus on economic issues
challenger/niche -> parties that focus on non-economic issues

Why is it useful to make the distinction between economic and non-economic issues?

It shows that there is a development. Example of the greens in Germany -> non-economic when campaigning, but when in gov. They had to form an opinion on economic and formed an opinion on it

When do they say that new parties are successful?

They also use the spatial theory. They claim that their still is incongruence between voters and parties and that new parties can take advantage of that

What are advantages of a party when it gets into parliament?

- provides you with more resources
- matters how much media coverage you get

What kinds of niche parties do Wieringa and Meijers find?

- democratic innovation
- European integration
- ethnic
- anti/pro-immigrant
- green
- agrarian
- elderly
- local and regional

When are parties more successful?

- lead candidate has experience in parliament
- right wing parties
- visibility
- nicheness

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