Bridging the Divide: Measuring Party System Change and Classifying Party Systems

Party systems research has proceeded along two parallel lines of inquiry, one predominantly “qualitative” and the other “quantitative.” This article attempts to bridge this divide in two ways. First, by showing that qualitative information can be valuable in the construction of quantitative measures. Second, by showing that the results from applying theoretically sensitive measurement tools can be useful for qualitative classification. These analyses are performed using an original dataset of party system changes in Sub-Saharan Africa. Related Articles: Nwokora, Zim, and Riccardo Pelizzo. 2015. “The Political Consequences of Party System Change.” Politics & Policy 43 (4): 453-473. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12124/abstract. Tusalem, Rollin F. 2016. “The Effect of Historical Pact Making and Civic Associations on Democratic Outcomes.” Politics & Policy 44 (4): 712-750. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12166/abstract. Vercesi, Michelangelo. 2016. “Coalition Politics and Inter-Party Conflict Management: A Theoretical Framework.” Politics & Policy 44 (2): 168-219. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/polp.12154/abstract. Related Media: Guardian. “Democracy in Africa: 5 Myths Explored.” https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/datablog/2016/feb/25/democracy-in-african-countries-five-myths-explored. CNN. “Africa's Rocky Road to Democracy.” http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/01/opinion/africa-democracy-mbaku/.