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Personalist Parties in the Third Wave of Democratization: A Comparative Analysis of P eru and B ulgaria
Author(s) -
Levitt Barry,
Kostadinova Tatiana
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
politics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.259
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1747-1346
pISSN - 1555-5623
DOI - 10.1111/polp.12084
Subject(s) - personalism , politics , democratization , hostility , business , political science , political economy , economics , democracy , social psychology , law , psychology
In this article, we deploy the concept of personalism in a comparative study of two T hird W ave democracies, P eru and B ulgaria. What factors explain the prevalence and success of personalistic parties? We analyze in rich detail the personalist parties that emerged in P eru and B ulgaria, focusing on the role of leaders and on parties' organizational development (or lack thereof). Adopting an institutionalist approach, we assess the impact of party regulation and financing, electoral rules, and domestic regime type (as well as international institutions) on these political entrepreneurs. We conclude that institutions did incentivize and constrain personalistic leadership, although other factors were also relevant. And while organized parties are now scarce in both countries, party politics in P eru is even more personality driven than in B ulgaria.