Party System Changes and Challenges to Democracy: Slovenia in a Comparative Perspective

Preface
Contents
About the Author
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 Introduction: Studying the Relationship Between Parties and Democracy
	Parties and Democracy: Not a Straightforward Relationship
	Puzzles from the Real World and from the Political Science View
	The Novelty of the Book and the Thesis
	Research Questions
	Research Approach
	Selection of Slovenia as Case Study
	Outline of the Book
	References
2 Political Thought on Democracy Related to Political Parties
	Theories of Democracy
	Liberal Thought and Parties
	Theoretical Adaptations to the Real-Life Phenomena of Political Parties
	Empirical Liberalism and an Operational Definition of Liberal Democracy
	Illiberal vs Liberal Democracy
	A Variety of Other Democratic Ideals in the Frame of a Nation State After the Second World War
	Transnational Democracy and the European Union as a Regional Political System
	Cosmopolitan Democracy
	References
3 Relations Between Democracy and Parties
	Varieties of Democracy and Varieties of Parties
	Western Lenses
	Variety of Relationships Between Political Parties and Democracy
	Parties and Other Factors of Democratic Transitions and Consolidation of Democracy
	Parties and Other Factors of Democratic Backsliding and Democracy’s Failure
	Illiberal Abuse of Democracy and Autocratization
	References
4 Party System Characteristics and Challenges to Democracy
	Introduction
	Party System and Party Institutionalization
		Party System Institutionalization
		Individual Party Institutionalization
		Party and Party System Institutionalization in Relation to Democracy
		Party System Stabilization as a Dimension of Institutionalization
		Government Formation and Party System Closure
		Government Formation and Democracy
	Personalization—The Opposite to Institutionalization
		Personalization, Presidentialization and Democracy
	Party Social Rooting—An Indicator of Party Institutionalization
		Party Social Roots and Democracy
	Polarization and Populism
		Polarization, Populism and Democracy
	The Role of Actors
		Parties, Elites and Partisans
		Citizens
	References
5 Tracing Changes in Parties, Party Systems, Context and Democracy
	Introduction
	Research Goal and Research Questions
	Slovenia Case Study
	Tracing Changes in Democracy
	Tracing Contextual Characteristics
	Party and Party System Characteristics
	Party and Party System Institutionalization
		Social Rootedness at the Levels of Parties and the Party System
		Government Formation and Managing
	Polarization: Party and Party System Point of View
	Structure of Slovenia’s Empirical Study
	References
6 Fluidity of Slovenia’s Democracy in a Changing Context
	Political Context and Evaluation of Democracy in Slovenia Over Time
	Broader Context of Slovenia’s Democracy: Economy, Social Inequalities, Institutions, Actors and External Factors
		Institutional Factors
		Actors
		External Factors
	References
7 Changes in the Party System (1989–2022)
	Introduction
	Transitional Party System (1988–1991)
		Consolidation of the First Party System Based on the 1991 Constitution (1992–2000 Elections)
	Destabilization of the Party System (2004–2008 Elections)
		Continuous Radical Renewal of the Party System (2011–2022 Elections)
	A Comparative Longitudinal View
		Party System Fragmentation
		Party and Party System Institutionalisation
		Polarization
		Key Findings Based on Comparing Changing Party Systems
	References
8 Summary of Findings and Conclusions
	Findings from the Theoretical Chapters
	Summary of Findings from the Slovenia Case Study
		Contextual and Party Factors in the Transition to Democracy
		Contextual and Party Factors in Consolidation of Democracy (1992–2000)
		Contextual and Party Factors in the Period of Increased Challenges to Democracy (2004–2020)
		Contextual and Party Factors of the Short Radical Decline in Democracy (2020–2021)
		How and in What Circumstances Is Democratic Backsliding Produced?
		How Is Democratic Backsliding Stopped?
		What Is the Role of the Party and Party System Characteristics in These Processes?
		What Enables the Characteristics of a Party System to Coincide with a Decline in Democracy?
		Does the Institutionalization of the Party System Matter for Democracy?
		Does the Persistence of Parties with Roots in the Previous Regime Matter?
		Does the Polar Structure of the Party System Matter?
		Can Party System Characteristics per se Have an Impact on Democracy?
		Old and New Findings from the Slovenia Case Study with Some Comparative Aspects
	Conclusions
	References
Correction to: Relations Between Democracy and Parties
	Correction to:  Chapter 3 in: D. Fink-Hafner, Party System Changes and Challenges to Democracy, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54949-6_3
Index