Political Parties in Multi-level Polities The Nordic Countries Compared

Political parties are essential for parliamentary democracy, the form of government that prevails in most European states. But how have parties adapted to modern society not least a new layer of political decision-making in the EU? Should we talk of a crisis of party democracy? This book reports the findings of a comparative survey of parties in four Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland and Sweden, all EU member states; and Norway, which remains outside the Union. Using original data, it explores how power is exercised within party organisations and their respective parliamentary groups.Within an analytical framework that envisages a party as a series of delegation relationships, the book illuminates how leaders are chosen, how election candidates are selected, how manifestos are written and how a party's various elements are co-ordinated. For all the challenges posed by multi-level governance, parties retain much of their capacity for making democracy work.

Nicholas Aylott is senior lecturer in political science at Södertörn University, Sweden. His research interest is in comparative European politics and, especially, political parties. Among his publications in this field is a co-edited book, The Europeanization of National Political Parties: Power and Organizational Adaptation (2007).


Magnus Blomgren is lecturer in political science at Umeå University, Sweden. His research interests relate to various aspects of democracy – European integration, parliamentarism and political parties. He has recently co-edited a book on Parliamentary Roles in Modern Legislatures (2012).


Torbjörn Bergman is professor of political science at Södertörn University, Sweden. Recent publications include co-edited books on Cabinets and Coalition Bargaining: The Democratic Life Cycle in Western Europe (2008) and The Madisonian Turn: Political Parties and Parliamentary Democracy in Nordic Europe (2011).

List of Tables
List of Figures
Preface
Notes on the Authors
Parties and the Challenge of Multi-Level Politics
Principals, Agents, Parties and the EU
Denmark: Party Agents on Tight Leashes
Finland: From Permissive Consensus to Angry Birds?
Norway: Strong Yet Marginalised Parties
Sweden: Power to the Parliamentarians?
Conclusions: Nordic Political Parties, European Union and the Challenge
References