Party Development, Democratic Backsliding, and Theories of Institutional Change

• In Event: Party Change and Party Adaptation in Democracies under Pressure

Abstract

In this paper, I propose an alternative to the backsliding framework for understanding party development that departs from expected democratic norms and practices. Utilizing theories of institutions change, I seek to understand party development as a response to both constraints and opportunities in the broader political environment. In some instances these responses may challenge the established democratic order, thus contributing to backsliding, a concerning development in its own right. However understanding and guarding against such developments requires that we understand party behavior not just as an expression of ideology or autocratic aspirations, but as a reaction to the broader competitive environment. I offer a case study of party development in the U.S. to illustrate the utility of the framework.

Author

• Amel F. Ahmed, University of Massachusetts, Amherst