Party Politics in Contemporary Federal Systems

Political parties are shaped by federal structures, but they are also powerful drivers of federal dynamics. Parties engage in electoral and parliamentary competition for the representation of citizens and for the making of public policies. Federalism adds territorial complexity to these tasks, as the political game will have to be played at multiple levels simultaneously. Parties will adapt to such a multi-level setting and are thus dependent on the federal architecture. At the same time, parties will also strive to arrange federal institutions and processes according to their own self-defined needs. They may engage in intergovernmental bargaining, take a stand on territorial issues in party competition, or support or oppose tendencies of political centralization. In this sense, parties can become the makers of the federal architecture.