Party systems in Africa: Problems of categorising and explaining party systems

Autor: Gero Erdmann, Matthias Basedau
Rok vydání: 2008
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Contemporary African Studies. 26:241-258
ISSN: 1469-9397
0258-9001
DOI: 10.1080/02589000802332408
Popis: Starting from controversial findings about the relationship between party systems and the prospects of democratic consolidation, this article argues that problems can only be properly addressed on the basis of a differentiated typology of party systems. Contradictory research results do not pose an ‘African puzzle’ but can be explained by different and inadequate approaches. We argue that a modified version of Sartori's typology of party systems provides an appropriate method for classifying African party systems. Based on Sartori's framework, a preponderance of predominant and dominant party systems is identified. This can be explained partly by the prevailing authoritarian nature of many multiparty regimes in Africa but not by electoral systems or the ethnic plurality of African societies. All kinds of electoral systems are connected to dominant party systems. High ethnic fragmentation does not automatically produce highly fragmented party systems. This phenomenon can be attributed to the ‘ethn...
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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