Small Parties in Western Europe : Comparative and National Perspectives

Small parties exist in virtually all Western European countries, but their individual and collective importance has remained undefined and largely ignored. In recent decades, the increasing impact of small parties has challenged the traditional view, showing that their political and societal functions are not necessarily in proportion to their size. Small Parties in Western Europe is the first comprehensive and systematic analysis of small parties in Western Europe. Original in scope, the contributors describe five distinct approaches to the study of small parties: a conceptual definitional approach; a numerical definitional approach; a diachronic approach; a classificatory approach; and a systematic approach. These approaches are applied in different ways to national case studies of Italy, Greece, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, and the Netherlands. An important addition to the literature in this field, this volume will be of interest to scholars and students of political science, comparative politics, and European studies. "This edited volume is more coherent and integrated than most such efforts." --British Politics Group Newsletter "This is a wonderful complement to the burgeoning literature on parties and party families. The editors have gathered together an impressive array of senior country specialists and leading comparativists to produce a comprehensive volume of three comparative chapters and six case studies." --Political Studies "This first book-length treatment of the subject. . .(is) recommended for advanced research libraries." --ChoiceMuller-Rommel, Ferdinand is the author of 'Small Parties in Western Europe : Comparative and National Perspectives', published 1991 under ISBN 9780803982628 and ISBN 0803982623.