RELEASE EMBARGO DATE: MAY 1, 2013 AT 9 AM

Panel: Stability and Change in Post-Crisis Party Systems (Grand BallroomⅠ)
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 1, 2013 / 09:00-10:15
Talking Points for: Christophe Crombez, Stanford University

Christophe Crombez will focus on stability and change in the European political party landscape. European politics has traditionally been dominated by three political groups: Conservatives/Christian-Democrats, Liberals and Socialists. Their vote shares have declined over time, however. Crombez will discuss the reasons for this decline. Voters have become better informed and more demanding over time. As a result their party loyalty has decreased. In addition Christian-Democrats have suffered from a collapse in religious practice and church influence, whereas Socialists have seen their party base shrink as a result of deindustrialization and the upward mobility of the working class. Over the years traditional political parties have been unable to secure the survival of the welfare state in the face of increasing international competition. Some voters who felt left behind economically, have turned to parties of the extreme-right and other populist parties for solutions. Others, frustrated with geographical differences in attitudes toward the welfare state, are now backing regional and nationalist parties.