Download full text
(1.002Mb)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-58500-2
Exports for your reference manager
It is all About Dissimilarity: Party System Characteristics and Their Proper Measurement
[conference paper]
Abstract In this article we propose a new conceptualization of the crucial party system characteristics: disproportionality, electoral volatility, territorial heterogeneity and inter-election incongruence. We argue that these characteristics can be studied as dissimilarities between vectors of votes or seats... view more
In this article we propose a new conceptualization of the crucial party system characteristics: disproportionality, electoral volatility, territorial heterogeneity and inter-election incongruence. We argue that these characteristics can be studied as dissimilarities between vectors of votes or seats. We present different specifications of vectors in order to address various research questions important for students of parties and party systems. Subsequently, developing the analyses of Monroe (1994) and Taagepera and Grofman (2003), we present nine measures of vectors’ dissimilarity: index of dissimilarity, Gallagher’s least squares measure and its transformations, cosine measure, Gini coefficient, Kullback-Leibler divergence (relative entropy), weighted variance and weighted standard deviation of ratios. We discuss their utility in empirical studies of main party system characteristics, using several dimensions of comparison, based on the formal postulates. We also add two new postulates concerning measure’s decomposability: horizontal (sumtype) and vertical (variance-type).... view less
Keywords
measurement; party; election result; party system; preference
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Conference
72. Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference. Chicago, 2014
Document language
English
Publication Year
2014
Page/Pages
25 p.
Status
not reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications