ADAPTATION OF AGRARIAN PARTIES IN NORWAY AND SWEDEN

The centre parties of Norway and Sweden both have their background as traditional farmer parties. They have faced the unavoidable challenge of a shrinking agrarian electorate. This article focuses on how they h ave responded to this challenge and argues that both agricultural iden tity and contextual variations are important in explaining differences in their electoral adaptation. The article shows how strong loyalties towards the farmers' union may strengthen traditional party loyalties .