Why study political parties?

• Parties mobilize for certain issues and form public opinions
• Point of orientation for voters → can define voters based on parties
• simplify choices → few manageable options for voters
• main organizations in representative democracies & organize voters

Relationship

• Party identification
• Anthony Downs: Economic Theory of Democracy
  • Voters have own preferences and vote for party that maximizes utility (aligns closest to preferences)

Multidimensionality

• new politics dimension added, not just economic dimension
• GAL-TAN dimension
• FDP deviates from trend → right economically, left culturally

Structure of Party positions in the EU

• inverted U-curve mostly accepted
• criticized as being simplistic, should be more dynamic
• figure is flattening over time
• other data finds it to be stable, both left and right wing parties are eurosceptic but asymmetry is shifting

Party positions on the EU

• cleavage theory: parties constrained in the positions they can take (branding)
• party families have similar positions across European countries