Party sovereignty and citizen control : selecting candidates for parliamentary elections in Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway / edited by Hanne Marthe Narud, Mogens N. Pedersen, Henry Valen.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Narud, Hanne Marthe.

Pedersen, Mogens N., 1939-

Valen, Henry.

Series:

University of Southern Denmark studies in history and social sciences ; v. 253.

University of Southern Denmark studies in history and social sciences ; no. 253

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political candidates--Scandinavia.

Political candidates.

Nominations for office--Scandinavia.

Nominations for office.

Scandinavia.

Physical Description:

254 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Odense : University Press of Southern Denmark, 2002.

Summary:

The nomination process has been called "the secret garden of politics"-- and for good reasons. The process by which candidates for election are being screened and selected is among the least understood and researched political phenomena, even though this process is so closely linked to the power structure within political parties. Nominations are mechanisms for selecting candidates, but also for holding the incumbent delegates responsible. In this book, nomination processes in four Nordic countries - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway -- are analysed and evaluated as instruments of democracy. The authors compare institutions, procedures and unwritten norms. The book in particular addresses questions about the citizens' ability to influence the nomination processes. The process is not only modelled in traditional terms of representation, but also as a principal-agent relationship. Despite great institutional similarities, the nomination processes and their outcomes vary considerably across the four countries. In particular, significant differences are found with regard to the extent of citizen control. The book provides a first mapping of this central feature of Nordic politics and thus also serves the comparative purpose of differentiating between otherwise similar political systems.

Contents:

1 Parliamentary Nominations in Western Democracies / Hanne Marthe Narud, Mogens N. Pedersen, Henry Valen

The Process of Nominations 11

The Role of Nominations in the Chain of Parliamentary Delegation 16

Bringing the Perspectives together 19

Research Questions 21

2 Denmark: The Interplay of Nominations and Elections in Danish Politics / Mogens N. Pedersen

The early history of nominations and elections 30

An illustration from the 1998 election 34

The role of the state 37

The role of the parties 38

Who are the candidates? 43

Proper behavior during the electoral campaign 45

The changing role of the voters 47

A special case: the increasing success rate of female candidates 54

Turnover and recruitment 58

3 Finland: Formalized Procedures with Member Predominance / Soile Kuitunen

The nomination system 65

The role of the party 71

Criteria for candidate selection 78

Sanctions and rewards 92

4 Iceland: From Party Rule to Pluralist Political Society / Svanur Kristjansson

The nomination system 110

Sanctions and rewards 138

Nomination method, turnover and main characteristics of MPs: The question of causation 153

5 Norway: Party Dominance and Decentralized Decision-Making / Henry Valen, Hanne Marthe Narud, Audun Skare

The new system 174

The organizational process 177

Candidate selection 183

Sanctions and rewards 202

Nominations and the electorate 210

The institutional setting 217

How are nominations organized? 218

What are the mechanisms for screening? 219

What is the outcome of the screening process? 222

What is the level of parliamentary turnover? 223

The multi-leveled network of principals and agents 224

Citizen control over candidate selection 226.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [236]-245).

ISBN:

8778386926

OCLC:

52449541