Causes of party conflicts in local politics

Abstract

This article shows how two forms of party conflict (political dissent and antagonistic behaviour) are related but explained by different factors. It is therefore of utmost importance to distinguish between the two forms of conflict. Political dissent is mainly explained by the size of demos while social fragmentation, fiscal stress and party contestation increase antagonistic behaviour. The presence of a local protest party inflates both forms of conflict. Surprisingly, party contestation has less impact on conflict levels than earlier studies have suggested. The study builds on data from a unique survey conducted among all councillors in the 290 municipalities in Sweden.

Where Did the Party Conflicts Go? How Horizontal Specialization in Political Systems Affects Party Conflicts

“…There are numerous definitions of what political conflict is (Bush and Folger 1994, 56; Fink 1968; Schmidt and Kochan 1972). However, there is reason to argue that there are at least two different forms of conflict in a political arena: political dissent and antagonistic behavior (Lantto 2005; Skoog and Karlsson 2015, 2018). Political dissent refers to the different positions that political actors take on political issues on a scale between agreement and dissent; a high degree of political dissent between the parties means that they have positions on political issues that are theoretically a long way apart, whereas a low degree of political dissent means that their positions are similar to each other.…”

“…This can lead to disrespectful strategic actions to stop other actors from exerting political influence. In contrast, a low degree of antagonism means that the parties downplay existing party differences and strive toward harmony across party lines (Lantto 2005; Skoog and Karlsson 2015, 2018). The focus of this article is on party political conflicts: that is, conflicts between elected political leaders from different parties and between the political majority and the opposition.…”

“…As an added bonus, when political conflicts are managed well, they can also serve to increase the influence of political leaders (Skoog and Karlsson 2015). Earlier studies show that a range of factors can cause political conflicts, for example: fiscal stress, size of the demos, and contestation (Skoog and Karlsson 2018). Organizational structure can also cause political conflicts.…”

Refleksjoner rundt paradokser, lederskap og læring

“…Enkelt kan man si at politisk konflikt oppstår når to eller flere motstridende ønsker, behov eller motiver er til stede samtidig, eller når det er uenighet om målsettinger (Skoog & Karlsson, 2018). Politisk konflikt oppstår fordi de politiske partiene representerer innbyggere med motstridende syn på hvordan samfunnet skal organiseres, og hvordan felles ressurser skal forvaltes.…”

“…Selv om politisk uenighet og konfliktklima beskriver ulike fenomener, så henger de i praksis slik sammen at det ofte er lettere å få til et samarbeid når den politiske uenigheten er liten (Adams & Merrill, 2009;Skoog & Karlsson, 2018). Det finnes likevel mange eksempler på at politikere eller partier som er svaert uenige om politiske saker, likevel klarer å samarbeide, og det finnes eksempler på at partier som egentlig er ganske enige, ikke klarer det.…”