The electoral fate of ethnoregionalist parties in Western Europe: A Boolean test of extant explanations

In this study I argue that we need to rethink some theoretical and empirica l considerations related to our understanding of ethnoregionalist (ETR) par ties in Western Europe. Research has stressed the strong impact of structur al attributes of political systems, mostly electoral systems with proportio nal representation (PR), on the electoral success of ETR parties. From appl ying Boolean analysis to compare 12 ETR parties with varied levels of elect oral success, it is claimed that the emphasis on type of electoral system a s the determinant factor present in the relevant literature on small and re gional parties is unjustified and that the presence of a distinctive local language, understood as a facilitating factor to translate regional demands and protest into political influence, is the most critical variable to avo id electoral failure. Moreover, most causal factors are linked through a st ructure of 'elective affinity' (social and political determinants as lying in closely related bundles) according to the specificity of ethnoregionalis t politics. This finding not only sheds light on the fate of ETR parties bu t may also apply to other ideologically eclectic political parties.