Journal Articles

Social Cleavages and the Number of Parties: How the Measures You Choose Affect the Answers You Get

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This article explores the issues surrounding the operationalization and measurement of social cleavages in a large-N context from the perspective of the party systems literature. It first highlights the difficulty of measuring the concept, which it argues has impeded hypothesis testing, and suggests strategies for improving upon existing measures. It then demonstrates that the conclusions we draw about well-known hypotheses linking social cleavages to the number of electoral parties in legislative elections depend upon the measure we employ. Hence, the article makes the case that how we measure social cleavages matters

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Detail Information

Series Title

Comparative Political Studies

Call Number

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Publisher

California : Sage Publications., 2008

Collation

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Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

0010-4140

Classification

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Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

Vol. 41, No. 11, November 2008. Page 1439-1465

Subject(s)

Party Systems
electoral systems
Social Cleavages
Social Heterogeneity
Measurement
Social Cleavages and the Number of Parties

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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