Political representation in the networked society: the Americanisation of European systems of responsible party government?

Blogging in the Shadow of Parties: Exploring Ideological Differences in Online Campaigning

“…However, not all countries have nurtured the blogosphere in the same way. Empirical research has found that the adoption and use of political blogs is largely shaped by the institutional setting, that is, the different roles given to political parties (Anstead & Chadwick, 2009;Jackson, 2008;Zittel, 2003). In political systems where major party endorsement is still crucial to winning a seat, there is little incentive for candidates to openly champion divergent positions.…”

“…When voters are given the option of voting for individual candidates and this choice makes a difference, candidates perceive an incentive to individualize their campaigns. As several scholars of online campaigning have successfully shown, this also seems to create incentives to use the Internet for this very purpose (Anstead & Chadwick, 2009;Ward & Cahill, 2007;Zittel, 2003).…”

Left and Right in the Blogosphere: Ideological Differences in Online Campaigning

“…In explanations of how blogging candidates handle this intricate situation, factors related to institutional setting have been most prominent [3,4]. Much less attention has been directed to the fact that a candidate-versus-party emphasis within parties may affect the extent to which candidates distance themselves from their parties and loosen central party control over their campaigns.…”

“…Recent research has found that the adoption and use of political blogs, to a large extent, is shaped by institutional setting, i.e. the different roles given to political parties [3,4]. In political systems where major party endorsement is still crucial to winning a seat, there is little incentive for candidates to openly champion divergent positions.…”

Four Models of Political Representation: British MPs and the Use of ICT

“…7 The former sees the transformative opportunities of the Internet, helping create an electronic democracy and redefining the relationship between legislators and electors. Over time, new generations of parliamentarians are able to exploit the Internet to bypass party and to create a more direct, individual mode of communication.…”