Populism and New Patterns of Political Competition in Western Europe

"Contemporary populist parties present a unique challenge to liberal democracies. They have increasingly exerted pressure on the established parties, forcing them to react in various ways. With its innovative analytical approach and wealth of empirical evidence, this is the best book to date to unravel the mutual interactions between the populist challengers, the political establishment, and each other." - Hans-Georg Betz, Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Zurich, Switzerland

"In this book Albertazzi and Vampa and their contributors have provided an important new contribution to the study of populism and contemporary party politics. The book deals with populism in the round, by addressing populism in all its forms and by looking at its effects on politics and party systems in Western Europe. Through concepts, cases studies and comparative contributions, this book will shape the study of populism in Western Europe." - Paul Taggart, Professor of Politics at the University of Sussex, UK

"This comprehensive account of the impact of populism on party systems in Western Europe offers a nuanced and fine-grained analysis of the strategies that non-populist parties employ vis-à-vis their populist competitors. It demonstrates that non-populist parties draw upon a far greater range of tactics to counter the rise of populist parties than hitherto assumed, thus showing that diversity continues to characterize European party politics. Rich in theory and empirics, it is a worthwhile addition to the book collection of populism scholars." - Sarah de Lange, Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands