Swiss politics and political institutions: 5. Party system and parties

Swiss politics and political institutions:

5. Party system and parties

Prof. Dr. Andreas Ladner

iMPA 2013

| ©IDHEAP – [email protected] | | 19/04/23 |

Module 1

1. Society and History

2. Federalism and Municipalities

3. Government and Parliament

4. Direct Democracy

5. Party system and Parties

6. What about the citizens?


Party systems

= a set of one (?) two or more parties.

(see China, US and CH)

There is more about a party system than the

number of parties!


How to explain the existence of party systems?

Institutional theories

Historic theories on crises and transformation

Theories of modernization


Lipset/Rokkan (1967):two revolutions and four cleavages

national and industrial

revolution:

Centre – Periphery,

State – Church,

Owner – Worker,

Industry - Land


The four cleavages

Centre – Periphery: The division between elites in the urban areas, and those in more outlying areas. (Liberals – Christian Democrats)

State – Church: A division between religious and secular voters. (Liberals – Christian Democrats)

Owner – Worker - A class cleavage, causing the formation of parties of the left and parties of the right. Sometimes it is argued that this cleavage represents a conflict between the rich and poor. (Liberals – Social Democrats)

Land – Industry - Continued state exercise of control over tariffs (customs) against freedom of control for industrial enterprise. (Liberals – Swiss People’s Party)


Remember? Cross-cutting Cleavages

French speaking,Catholics,poor

German speaking, protestants, rich

F

G

rich

rich

poor

poor

cath.

cath.

prot.

prot.


Frozen Party System – These:

"... the party systems of the 1960's reflect, with a few

but significant exceptions the cleavage structures of

the 1920's. This is a crucial characteristics of Western

competitive politics in the age of "high mass

consumption": the party alternatives, and in

remarkably many cases the party organizations, are

older than the majorities of the national electorates.”

(Lipset/Rokkan 1967: 50)


Kirchheimer (1965: 32) suggest a slightly different concept: the catch-all party

Ideology and cleavages lose their importance

Party leaders become more important

Party members become less important

The party is mainly interested in votes


Characteristics of party systems

Number of parties

Volatility

Type of parties


„Effective number of parties “

Laakso/Taagepera (1979) :

pi is the percentage of votes of a party.

p

1 N n

1i

2i


The fragmentation of the Swiss party system compared

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

1903

1907

1911

1915

1919

1923

1927

1931

1935

1939

1943

1947

1951

1955

1959

1963

1967

1971

1975

1979

1983

1987

1991

1995

1999

2003

2007

CH Moyenne Europe


„Volatility“

Pedersen (1979) :

n is the number of parties, vit is the percentage of votes of party i at time t and vi(t+1) the percentage of votes of party i at time t + 1. .

n

1i

1

2 TV tiit vv


Increasing volatility

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

19

03

19

07

19

11

19

15

19

19

19

23

19

27

19

31

19

35

19

39

19

43

19

47

19

51

19

55

19

59

19

63

19

67

19

71

19

75

19

79

19

83

19

87

19

91

19

95

19

99

20

03

20

07

kantonale Parteiensysteme nationales Parteiensystem


What kind of parties? The big parties 1919 – 2007

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.01919

1922

1925

1928

1931

1935

1943

1947

1951

1955

1959

1963

1967

1971

1975

1979

1983

1987

1991

1995

1999

2003

2007

FDP CVP SPS SVP GPS

28.9 %

19.5 %

15.8 %

14.6 %

9.6 %


What kind of parties? The small parties

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

10.019

19

1922

1925

1928

1931

1935

1943

1947

1951

1955

1959

1963

1967

1971

1975

1979

1983

1987

1991

1995

1999

2003

2007

LPS PdA GPS FPS LdU SD


High polarization of the Swiss party system


Swiss parties

Union Démocratique du Centre UDC

Parti radical-démocratique PRD

Parti démocrate-chrétien PDC

Parti socialiste PS

Les verts PES

Alliance verte AVes (membre PES)

Alliance de gauche AdG

Démocrates Suisses DS

Grünliberale Zürich GLP

Lega dei Ticinesi

Parti chrétien-social PCS

Parti évangélique suisse PEV

Parti libéral PLS

Parti suisse du Travail PST

Alternative Zoug

Union Démocratique Fédérale UDF


Four „older“ ones and a rather „new“ party

Social Democrats: Social security, solidarity, openness, environment

Radicals: knowledge, openness, fairness, growth, against bureaucracy

Christian Democrats: attractive business location, family, social security

Swiss People‘s Party: Against European integration, against immigration, lower tax burden

Greens: climate protection, reorganisation of the economy along more environmental lines, the strengthening of social institution and an active policy of peace


The emergence of the Swiss parties

Organisations of the citizens entitled to vote („Children of the popular

rights“)

Bottom-up: first organisation in the cantons

National party organisation

– Social Democrats (1888)

– Liberal Party (1894)

– Christian Democrats (1912)

– Swiss People’s Party (1936)

– Greens (1983)


Party organisations

Rather weak and small. Parties belong to the civil society.

– No constitutional recognition (Art. 137, since 2000)

– Interest groups (and social movements) play an important role; consultation process opens the decision making process, direct democracy

– Weak national party organisation, limited resources, low number of professional staff, heterogenous


Party members 1997-2007

CH 1997 2007 % Social Democrats 37'818 34'730 -8.2Greens 5'031 6'145 22.1

Christian Democrats 73'911 59'664 -19.3Libeals 87'297 65'925 -24.5Swiss People's Party 59'880 67'412 12.6

Effective members

Quelle: Gunzinger 2008


Average membership fees (in sFr.)

40

82

56

46

25

77

128

71

54

73

115

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

PS PRD

UD

C

PDC

PES

PEV

PLS

UD

F

AE

PCS

Total


Internal funding cantonal parties (percentages)

1997 2007

Liberals 71 57

Christian Democrats 75 66

Sw iss People's Party 85 82

Social Democrats 93 87

Greens 77 69



Number of professional staff (national parties)

Vgl. Seminararbeit von Michael Bühler 2006


Ideological heterogeneityP

art

ei

FDP

CVP

SVP

SP

GPS

Links-rechts-Skala

10987654321

34


Candates National Election: Social Democrats and Swiss People‘ s Party


Candidates: Liberals, Christian Democrats, Social Democrats, Swiss People‘s Party, Green liberals, Greens


Political Differences among the MPs of the different Parties


www.euprofiler.eu


Seven policy dimensions and 28 questions

Wirtschaftliche Liberalisierung = economic liberalization

Restriktive Finanzpolitik = restrictive financial policy

Justiz und Innere Sicherheit = law and order

Restriktive Einwanderungspolitik = restrictive immigration

policy

Umweltschutz = pro environment

Ausbau des Sozialstaates = pro welfare state

Liberale Gesellschaft = liberal society


Party families (1)


Party families (2)


Homogeneity of the different party families


Liberal parties (Switzerland and Germany)


Liberal parties (GB, NL, DK)


Christian Democrats (Switzerland and Germany)


Union pour une majorité populaire (France)


Green parties (CH, Germany and Austria)


Social Democrats in Switzerland and Germany


Labour (Engl.), PS (France) und SAP (Sweden)


Swiss People‘s Party, FPOe und Vlaams Belang


SVP and PVV (Geert Wilders)

Documents

Swiss politics and political institutions: 5. Party system and parties