How Parties Win

Shaping the Irish Political Arena

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Government, Political Parties
Cover of the book How Parties Win by Sean D McGraw, University of Michigan Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sean D McGraw ISBN: 9780472120819
Publisher: University of Michigan Press Publication: March 10, 2015
Imprint: University of Michigan Press Language: English
Author: Sean D McGraw
ISBN: 9780472120819
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Publication: March 10, 2015
Imprint: University of Michigan Press
Language: English

In recent decades, Ireland’s three major political parties have maintained over 80 percent of the vote in the face of rapidly shifting social divisions, political values, and controversial issues, though not by giving voice to particular interest groups or reacting to issues of the day. Rather, Sean D. McGraw reveals how party leaders select, or purposely sideline, pressing political and social issues in order to preserve their competitive advantage. By relegating divisive issues to extraparliamentary institutions, such as referenda or national wage bargaining systems, major parties mitigate the effects of changing environments and undermine the appeal of minor parties.

This richly textured case study of the major parties in the Republic of Ireland engages the broader comparative argument that political parties actively shape which choices are available to the electorate and—just as importantly—which are not. Additionally, McGraw sets a new standard for mixed-method research by employing public opinion surveys, party manifestos, content analysis of media coverage, the author’s own survey of nearly two-thirds of Irish parliamentarians in both 2010 and 2012, and personal interviews conducted over the course of six years.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In recent decades, Ireland’s three major political parties have maintained over 80 percent of the vote in the face of rapidly shifting social divisions, political values, and controversial issues, though not by giving voice to particular interest groups or reacting to issues of the day. Rather, Sean D. McGraw reveals how party leaders select, or purposely sideline, pressing political and social issues in order to preserve their competitive advantage. By relegating divisive issues to extraparliamentary institutions, such as referenda or national wage bargaining systems, major parties mitigate the effects of changing environments and undermine the appeal of minor parties.

This richly textured case study of the major parties in the Republic of Ireland engages the broader comparative argument that political parties actively shape which choices are available to the electorate and—just as importantly—which are not. Additionally, McGraw sets a new standard for mixed-method research by employing public opinion surveys, party manifestos, content analysis of media coverage, the author’s own survey of nearly two-thirds of Irish parliamentarians in both 2010 and 2012, and personal interviews conducted over the course of six years.

More books from University of Michigan Press

Cover of the book Campaign Finance and Political Polarization by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book Conflict, Security, Foreign Policy, and International Political Economy by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book The Urban Voter by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book Realism and Institutionalism in International Studies by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book Chic Ironic Bitterness by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book Open Wound by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book Where Women Run by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book Performance, Transparency, and the Cultures of Surveillance by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book The Unknown Odysseus by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book State Institutions, Private Incentives, Global Capital by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book Millennial Reflections on International Studies by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book Music in American Crime Prevention and Punishment by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book Anatomizing Civil War by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book The Whips by Sean D McGraw
Cover of the book The North Country Trail by Sean D McGraw
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy