Regional Nationalist Parties and Constitutional Change in Parliamentary Democracies: A Framework for Analysis

Abstract

While existing research on the 'nationalities question' has focused predominantly on the institutionalization of the territorial cleavage or the structural factors that drive the process of constitutional change, scant attention has been paid to evaluating the influence of regional nationalist parties that voice demands for recognition and self-rule. This article develops a two-stage framework for analysis that focuses on the different avenues through which regional nationalist parties set the agenda and on the process of political bargaining between partisan actors that produce constitutional change. The framework emphasizes the significance of the electoral conjuncture, a political system's institutional arrangements and the ideology of partisan actors in determining the power relationship between regional nationalist and mainstream parties in different arenas, as well as in conditioning the likelihood of constitutional change. While anecdotal evidence from West European states is produced to illustrate the argument, the framework can be exported fruitfully elsewhere.

Ideology matters: Why decentralisation has a differentiated effect on regionalist parties' fortunes in Western democracies

“…Building on Meguid, Toubeau () discusses the conditions under which statewide parties, in their attempt to tackle the challenge of regionalist parties, are more likely to carry out decentralisation reforms.…”

Participatory effects of regional authority: decentralisation and political participation in comparative perspective

“…An important third variable furthermore considers the demands of accommodation in multinational states. Regionalist parties, in this regard, are thought to be the main 'motor' of decentralisation (Toubeau 2011). As it turns out, post-communism, size of a region (log), and vote share for regional parties (log) are indeed all highly significantly (p < 0.01) related to regional self-rule, but not consistently significantly to regional levels of forms of participation (controlling for self-rule).…”

Party Strategies on Territorial Reform: State-wide Parties and the State of Autonomies in Spain

“…Yet this finding is qualified by hypothesis 2. Under minority situations, both the PSOE (1993( -1996( , 2004( -2011( ) and the PP (1996( -2000 have been more responsive to regionalist demands and traded territorial reforms for parliamentary support. The territorial logic of action is also supported by empirical evidence.…”

“…Political decentralisation is typically prompted as a response of state-wide parties to the demands of regionalist parties for territorial autonomy or independence (Toubeau 2011). Yet territorial reforms are not one-shot decisions but rather dynamic processes which involve intergovernmental, inter-party and intra-party negotiations.…”