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Determinants of Candidate Selection

The Degree of Centralization in Comparative Perspective

Department of Political Science, bo Akademi University, Biskopsgatan 15, FIN-20500 bo, Finland krister.lundell{at}abo.fi

The purpose of this article is to examine whether party characteristics and contextual variables explain varying degrees of centralization of intra-partisan candidate selection methods. By means of statistical analyses and a larger dataset than in earlier studies, possible associations are studied. In order to carry out the study, an index of the degree of centralization is constructed. Of the party characteristics, only party size affects the dependent variable: large parties tend to apply more centralized selection methods than small parties. None of the institutional variables determines the degree of centralization of candidate selection. For instance, earlier assertions about the importance of the electoral system and territorial organization are falsified. However, some distinct regional patterns emerge: Southern European parties apply centralized selection methods, whereas candidate selection in Nordic countries is decentralized.

Key Words: candidate selection • centralization • decentralization • selection methods

Party Politics, Vol. 10, No. 1, 25-47 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1354068804039119


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