| dc.description.abstract | This thesis investigates the strategic dynamics of Electoral Alliances (EAs) in multilevel electoral systems, focusing on Western European democracies. EAs, defined as joint party lists, can be a critical tool for political parties aiming to achieve electoral success, influencing government composition, voter behavior, and the stability of party systems. Due to methodological nationalism the regional variation of factors affecting EA participation and the spillover in EA participation from regional to national elections have been mostly ignored by the literature. Two primary sets of hypotheses are tested: the first set explores the impact of regional electoral system permissiveness and party size, while the second set assesses the continuity of party strategies from regional to national elections. The study employs multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression models, analyzing these gaps on Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Key findings indicate that higher regional electoral thresholds are positively associated with EA participation. Additionally, optimal conditions for EA involvement occur when a party's regional vote share in the previous national election is around 7%, typically few percentage points below the regional mean threshold to win one seat. Past participation in regional EAs also emerges as a significant predictor of future national EA engagement, also when parties previously collaborated with multiple allies. This thesis contributes to the understanding of electoral cooperation in multilevel contexts, highlighting the need to consider regional influences in national election strategies. It addresses gaps in current research and aligns with the call for a more integrated approach in coalition studies, emphasizing the importance of regional nuances in shaping national electoral outcomes. | |
