Transformation of West European Political Landscape and Institutionalization of Anti-System Politics

Abstract

Despite the large body of literature on the emergence and success of new political parties in Western Europe, few, if any, attention has been paid to investigate new parties from a systemic perspective, therefore exploring their potential effects on party systems. This article focuses on Party System Innovation (PSInn), defined as the aggregate level of 'newness' recorded in a party system at a given election. After having reviewed the extant literature on the topic, the article discusses what a new party is a…