Building Party Systems in Developing Democracies

Hicken analyzes the formation of nationally oriented political parties in democracies and its variation across countries using a theory of aggregation incentives.

List of contents

1. Introduction; 2. A theory of aggregation incentives; 3. Testing the theory; 4. Aggregation, nationalization, and the number of parties in Thailand; 5. Explaining aggregation in Thailand; 6. Term limits, aggregation incentives, and the number of parties in the Philippines; 7. Conclusion.

About the author

Allen Hicken is an Assistant Professor of Political Science, Faculty Associate at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, and Faculty Associate at the Center for Political Studies at the University of Michigan. He studies elections, parties, and party systems in developing democracies, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia. He has carried out research and held research positions in Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Cambodia. He is the recipient of a Fulbright Award and, along with Ken Kollman, an NSF grant. His publications include articles in the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Electoral Studies, the Journal of East Asian Studies, and the Taiwan Journal of Democracy.

Summary

This book addresses the question of why a party system with a modest number of nationally oriented political parties emerges in some democracies but not others. Analyzing the cases of Thailand and the Philippines, Hicken argues that aggregation incentives are a product of the payoff to being a large party and the probability if capturing that payoff.

Product details

• Authors: Allen Hicken
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 21.08.2014
• EAN: 9781107437104
• ISBN: 978-1-107-43710-4
• No. of pages: 222
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; POLITICAL SCIENCE / General, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Democracy, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Comparative Politics, Developing Countries, Politics & government, Political structures: democracy, Comparative Politics, Political parties and party platforms, Global South / Developing countries