1997/06/01 by Jan‐Erik Lane, Svante Ersson
Social Sciences · #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Populism, Right-Wing Movements #Social Policy and Reform Studies
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9477.1997.tb00191.x
openalex publication_date 1997/06/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/21
The increasing instability in the electorate and the party system forces us to reconsider the Lipset‐Rokkan thesis about the frozen party system. In this approach, cleavages played a major role, but in Western Europe, this role has diminished significantly. The frequent shifts in voter allegiance call for a new understanding of the mechanisms that connect voters and parties. A reinterpretation of the concepts of a “frozen party system” or “cleavages” is not enough. We need a new theory about the strategic interaction between parties and a floating electorate.