Partisan Dealignment and the Blue-Collar Electorate in France

This book explores partisan dealignment in France between 1978 and 2012, with a particular focus on the blue-collar electorate and its relationship with the political parties of the established left (the Socialist Party, or Parti socialiste, and the Communist Party, or Parti communiste français). It highlights the distinctiveness of blue-collar partisanship in a context of significant political, social and economic change and compares it with patterns of partisanship in the wider electorate. The voter-party relationship is self-evidently a bilateral one which can be modified both on the demand side, because voters change, and on the supply side, because parties change. Four factors are identified as playing a key role in partisan dealignment: value change, policy convergence, political sophistication and political trust. There is compelling evidence that while each of these makes a contribution, it is changes in the behaviour of the parties that are driving partisan dealignment among blue-collar workers in France.

Analyses changes in the political behaviour of blue-collar voters and in party political competition in France Adopts an empirical and conceptual approach, dealing with both elements of the bilateral relationship between voters and parties Employs evidence drawn from six survey datasets collected in French elections between 1978 and 2012, and data from public opinion polls, party manifestos as well as the historical record

Autorentext

Sally Marthaler is a former lecturer and researcher in politics and contemporary European studies at the University of Sussex, UK. She has published articles in journals including French Politics, West European Politics, and French Politics, Culture & Society, as well as chapters on French politics in books on the European Union.

Inhalt
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: The Blue-collar Electorate and La condition ouvrière in France.- Chapter 3: Blue-collar Partisanship.- Chapter 4: Policy Convergence.- Chapter 5: Value Change.- Chapter 6: Political sophistication.- Chapter 7: Political Trust.- Chapter 8: Conclusion.- Appendix: Data analysis.