Originally published in Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books, 1994, Vol 39(2), 225. Reviews the book, The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion by John Zaller (1992). The author's commendable effort to specify a model of mass opinion formation offers readers an introduction to the prevailing vi

The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion.

The Political Consciousness of Post-Industrialism@@@The Silent Revolution: Changing Values and Political Styles among Western Publics.

Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe.

The hybrid media system: Politics and power

This article offers an overview of levels of party membership in European democ- racies at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century and looks also at changes in these levels over time, comparing party membership today with figures from both 1980 and the late 1990s. While relying primarily on the direct and individual membership figures as reported by the parties themselves, the fit of the data with survey data is explored and it is concluded that the two perform well in terms of convergent validity.The differences between large and small democracies are examined, as well as old and new democracies, and it is found that levels of party membership are related to both the size and age of the democratic polity in question. Finally, the implications of the patterns observed in the membership data are discussed, and it is suggested that membership has now reached such a low ebb that it may no longer constitute a relevant indicator of party organisational capacity. This article offers an overview and initial analysis of the levels of party mem- bership in European democracies at the end of the first decade of the twenty- first century, and discusses the implications of changes in party membership for our understanding of models of party organisation. The first two sections provide a broad comparison of the data on party membership in European democracies and analyse changes in membership over time, comparing con- temporary levels with those from both 1980 and the late 1990s, and exploring variations in national patterns. In the third section, we discuss some of the implications of the patterns that we observe in the membership data and suggest that membership has now reached such a low ebb that it may no longer constitute a relevant indicator of party organisational capacity. Alternatively, if membership continues to be regarded as offering a meaningful gauge of party organisational strength, we might then conclude that party organisations have reached such a low ebb that the formal organisational level is itself no longer a relevant indicator of party capacity. In presenting an overview of the levels of party membership in European democracies at the end of the first decade of the twenty-first century, our 24

Going, Going, ...Gone? The Decline of Party Membership in Contemporary Europe

Whilst the Lega Nord has traditionally been defined as a regionalist populist party, since Matteo Salvini became its leader in 2013 it has undergone a process of profound ideological transformation...

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13597566.2018.1512977

‘No regionalism please, we are Leghisti !’ The transformation of the Italian Lega Nord under the leadership of Matteo Salvini

Contents: Introduction: primary elections across the world, Giulia Sandri and Antonella Seddone Leadership selection versus candidate selection: similarities and differences, Ofer Kenig, Gideon Rahat and Reuven Y. Hazan The American experience of primary elections in comparative perspective, Alan Ware Democratising party leadership selection in Spain and Portugal, Oscar Barbera, Marco Lisi and Juan Rodriguez-Teruel Democratising party leadership selection in Belgium and Israel, Bram Wauters, Gideon Rahat and Ofer Kenig Democratising party leadership selection in Japan and Taiwan, Yohei Narita, Ryo Nakai and Keiichi Kubo Democratising candidate selection in Italy and France, Marino De Luca and Fulvio Venturino Democratising candidate selection in Romania and Slovakia, Sergiu Gherghina and Peter SpaAi Democratising candidate selection in Iceland, Indridi H. Indridason and Gunnar Helgi Kristinsson Conclusion, Giulia Sandri, Antonella Seddone and Fulvio Venturino Bibliography Index.

Party primaries in comparative perspective

In this article, we explore the impact of intra-party democratization processes on party membership. We analyze the opinions and attitudes of enrolled members on intra-party democracy instruments and on the use of open primaries. We investigate, with original data sets on Italy, the relationship between primaries and party members. How do enrolled members perceive internal democratization and primaries? Which factors contribute to explaining grassroots members’ opinion on primaries? We use the case of the Italian Democratic Party (PD) to argue that different subsets of the party membership (divided into new-style and old-style members, on the basis of their relationship with the party and their participatory style) have different views on primaries. Quantitative analysis of survey data on party members reveals two main findings. Our first result is that members approve and positively assess the adoption of new procedures of intra-party democracy. Second, membership style matters: old-style members react to the adoption of primary elections differently than new-style members. Indeed, old-style members understand primaries as a renovated chance of participating in the party’s activities, whereas for new-style members primaries give the opportunity for a new mode of participation. Our findings contribute to the existing empirical research on intra-party democracy and party membership, and have important implications for the triangular link between parties, members and primaries.

Challenges of political participation and intra-party democracy: Bittersweet symphony from party membership and primary elections in Italy

According to the penalty hypothesis, primaries are considered damaging for parties because of the social and political distinctiveness of the electorate, who usually choose unpalatable candidates for the median voter in general elections. This article deals with two leader selections organised by the Italian Partito Democratico (PD) in 2007 and 2009. Using survey data, voters' characteristics in the two primaries relating to the 2008 parliamentary elections are contrasted in order to find out the differences between the two selectorates and the general electorate. Then, the attitudes of the winners' and losers' supporters in primary elections are compared. Although not definitive, the results contradict the primary penalty thesis. Even if the data point out some relevant differences between selectors and electors, the losers' supporters do not seem to be demobilised by the primary results.

Bringing voters back in leader selection: the open primaries of the Italian Democratic Party

The (Northern) League represents a very intriguing case study for scholars interested in party organizational change and transformation. The story of this party, indeed, offers several examples of ...

La Lega di Salvini: estrema destra di governo: by Gianluca Passarelli and Dario Tuorto, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018, 176 pp., € 15 (paperback), ISBN: 978-88-15-27905-7

Antonella Seddone

Papers

‘No regionalism please, we are Leghisti !’ The transformation of the Italian Lega Nord under the leadership of Matteo Salvini

Party primaries in comparative perspective

Challenges of political participation and intra-party democracy: Bittersweet symphony from party membership and primary elections in Italy

Bringing voters back in leader selection: the open primaries of the Italian Democratic Party

La Lega di Salvini: estrema destra di governo: by Gianluca Passarelli and Dario Tuorto, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018, 176 pp., € 15 (paperback), ISBN: 978-88-15-27905-7