Center Parties, Party Competition, and the Implosion of Party Systems: A Study of Centripetal Tendencies in Multiparty Systems

Christoffer Green‐Pedersen

Political Studies, 2004, vol. 52, issue 2, 324-341

Abstract: Centripetal party competition is traditionally associated with the need to capture the median voter in a two‐party system, whereas the existence of center parties is associated with centrifugal party competition. This article argues that the existence of a ‘pivotal center party’ leads to centripetal party competition in multiparty systems. A pivotal center party is so strong in electoral terms that forming a majority either to the left or to the right of it is unrealistic. Therefore, office‐seeking political parties are forced on to a centrist course. This dynamic can be so forceful that the major parties to the left and to the right of the center party decide to govern in a broad coalition, and we may speak of an ‘implosion’ of the party system. The theoretical argument can explain party system developments in the Netherlands and Finland.

Date: 2004
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https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2004.00482.x

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:polstu:v:52:y:2004:i:2:p:324-341

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