Changing Party Systems: Digitalization and the Information Society’s New Political Cleavages

The aim of the project is to increase our knowledge about the causes of ongoing changes in European party systems, especially the advances of nationalist conservative, right-wing populist parties and the setbacks for social democratic and traditional conservative parties. We develop theories on how globalization and digitalization are creating new political and social cleavages in Europe, where the sovereignty of nation-states is being challenged by transnationality and transnational networks. In testing these theories, we use hypotheses on how new social groups – with diverse material interests – are mobilising around the divisive issues that characterise current political debate.