Radical Left Voters in Western Europe

Raul Gomez is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of Liverpool, UK. His research interests lie at the intersection of sociology and comparative political science, and his areas of expertise include electoral behaviour, political parties, and public opinion. His research has been published in journals such as the European Journal of Political Research; British Journal of Political Science; Journal of Common Market Studies; West European Politics; and Party Politics.Luis Ramiro is Associate Professor in the Department of Politics at UNED, Spain. He is Associate Research Fellow at the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics of Sciences Po Paris, France. His research centres on political attitudes, political organisations, and political behaviour. His most recent publications have focused on the vote for radical-left parties, party organization, and political attitudes. His work has been published in the European Journal of Political Research; West European Politics; Party Politics; European Political Science Review; and Political Studies.

• 1. Introduction. Radical Left Parties in Western Europe and their Electorates: Decline, Transformation and Persistence 2. Explaining Radical Left Parties’ Support: A Framework for Analysis 3. The Social Basis of Radical Left Parties Electorate: Social Stratification and the Radical Left in Contemporary Western Europe 4. Values, Political Attitudes and Policy Positions of Radical Left Parties’ Voters: A Distinctively Progressive Constituency 5. Non-electoral Political Participation and Civic Engagement of Radical Left Voters: A Mobilized Electorate 6. The Effect of the Political, Institutional and Socioeconomic Context: Economic Crises and Political Discontent as Factors Fostering Support for the Radical Left 7. Parties’ Behaviour, Party Competition and Voter Support for the Radical Left: The Importance of Parties’ Policy Positions 8. Conclusion. Explaining Voter Support for Radical Left Parties in Western Europe: The Role of Individual and Contextual Factors