A new measure for party coherence : applying a physics-based concept to the Swiss party system

Christen, Markus; Ott, Thomas; Schwarz, Daniel

doi:10.1142/S0219525913500112

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	A new measure for party coherence : applying a physics-based concept to the Swiss party system
Authors:	Christen, Markus Ott, Thomas Schwarz, Daniel
DOI:	10.1142/S0219525913500112
Published in:	Advances in Complex Systems
Volume(Issue):	16
Issue:	6
Page(s):	1350011
Issue Date:	2013
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	World Scientific Publishing
ISSN:	1793-6802
Language:	English
Subjects:	Measurement Methods; Party Coherence; Polarization; Political Science; Superparamagnetic Clustering
Subject (DDC):	003: Systems 320: Politics
Abstract:	The article revives a theoretical definition of party coherence as being composed of two basic elements, cohesion and factionalism, to propose and apply a novel empirical measure based on spin physics. The simultaneous analysis of both components using a single measurement concept is applied to data representing the political beliefs of candidates in the Swiss general elections of 2003 and 2007, proposing a connection between the coherence of the beliefs party members hold and the assessment of parties being at risk of splitting. We also compare our measure with established polarization measures and demonstrate its advantage with respect to multidimensional data that lack clear structure. Furthermore, we outline how our analysis supports the distinction between bottom-up and top-down mechanisms of party splitting. In this way, we are able to turn the intuition of coherence into a defined quantitative concept that, additionally, offers a methodological basis for comparative research of party coherence. Our work serves as an example of how a complex systems approach allows to get a new perspective on a long-standing issue in political science.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/4481
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	Licence according to publishing contract
Departement:	Life Sciences and Facility Management
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Computational Life Sciences (ICLS)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen Life Sciences und Facility Management

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Christen, M., Ott, T., & Schwarz, D. (2013). A new measure for party coherence : applying a physics-based concept to the Swiss party system. Advances in Complex Systems, 16(6), 1350011. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219525913500112

Christen, M., Ott, T. and Schwarz, D. (2013) ‘A new measure for party coherence : applying a physics-based concept to the Swiss party system’, Advances in Complex Systems, 16(6), p. 1350011. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219525913500112.

M. Christen, T. Ott, and D. Schwarz, “A new measure for party coherence : applying a physics-based concept to the Swiss party system,” Advances in Complex Systems, vol. 16, no. 6, p. 1350011, 2013, doi: 10.1142/S0219525913500112.

CHRISTEN, Markus, Thomas OTT und Daniel SCHWARZ, 2013. A new measure for party coherence : applying a physics-based concept to the Swiss party system. Advances in Complex Systems. 2013. Bd. 16, Nr. 6, S. 1350011. DOI 10.1142/S0219525913500112

Christen, Markus, Thomas Ott, and Daniel Schwarz. 2013. “A New Measure for Party Coherence : Applying a Physics-Based Concept to the Swiss Party System.” Advances in Complex Systems 16 (6): 1350011. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219525913500112.

Christen, Markus, et al. “A New Measure for Party Coherence : Applying a Physics-Based Concept to the Swiss Party System.” Advances in Complex Systems, vol. 16, no. 6, 2013, p. 1350011, https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219525913500112.