Sinn Féin’s Adaptation of Policy between the North and South of Ireland

• In Event: Political Studies Association of Ireland

Abstract

For a variety of reasons Sinn Féin can be considered an unusual party both on the island of Ireland and internationally. However, one underexplored area of difference is its position as an electorally competitive party to operate simultaneously in two separate jurisdictions. This raises questions about how this anti-systemic party adapts its policy offerings to appeal to a plurality of voters in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, when there are differing incentives influencing its policy agenda in both jurisdictions. For instance, differences emerge in terms of party competition, electoral systems, voter base, ideology, party factions, policy context, policy competencies, voter appeal, and the institutional context (i.e., Dáil Éireann / Westminster; EU / non-EU). Sinn Féin’s organisation (one party, two jurisdictions) allows for a Most Similar Systems Design which can help determine how its policy agenda differs between North and South. This research draws on the Manifesto Project Database to examine SF’s evolving ideological positions. It also uses new datasets from the Irish Policy Agendas Project and the Public Policy Agendas on a Shared Island project which have coded party manifestos (North and South) based on the Comparative Agendas Project (CAP) coding scheme. This research finds that Sinn Féin in the North tends to prioritise representation of nationalist concerns, while Sinn Féin in the South focuses on more typical social democratic issues. But during periods of stability for Irish nationalism in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin’s policy focus reverts to bread-and-butter issues that resemble its policy agenda in the South.

Author

• Jonathan Arlow, University of Liverpool