Dealignment

DEALIGNMENT IS AN electoral period during which voters' established attachments to political parties weaken and mass party coalitions dissolve. The fragmenting of traditional party alignments signals the politicization of new, or previously latent issues, and consequent structural shift in the cleavages that delineate group differences within society. The fragmenting of party alignments has been understood through two competing perspectives: as part of a recurring electoral cycle, or as an end state. The manifestations of dealignment in many advanced industrialized democracies have led scholars to believe that traditional party alignments are restructuring in these countries. Dealignment has traditionally been treated as a recurring cycle within [Page 162]an electoral process, which must to be completed by realignment of the electorate and a phase of stable partisanship. Generational changes provide one source of periodic shifts in social cleavages. Additionally, domestic and international forces, such as economic depression, war, and globalization, may comprise the origins of electoral dealignment.

Alternatively, the fractioning of party alignments has been understood as an end state rather than as part of a cycle. One such reading of dealignment is that the media and interest groups' adoption of traditional party functions, such as campaign information and voter mobilization, may indicate a permanent decline in the utility of political parties to voters, and a consequent decrease in voters' partisan ties. Equally, electoral disaffection with political elites, and possibly the political system more generally, may culminate in a lasting state of dealignment.

The decomposition of preexisting party alignments has distinct manifestations. A decline in the party-affiliated portion of the electorate and a decrease in party membership lists accompany a rise in the share of independent voters. In addition, the remaining self-identified partisans tend to vote against their political affiliations. Voter turnout decreases, while citizens attempt to influence political decisions through nonpartisan means, such as participation in interest groups. Direct forms of legislation, including referenda and initiatives, increase in frequency. Old parties splinter into factions, while multiple new ones enter the political scene and quickly disappear. Voting results vary significantly between elections.

Since World War II, many of these developments have occurred in advanced industrialized democracies; leading scholars of electoral studies to believe that dealignment is taking place in these countries. Economic security, higher levels of education and political skills, and technological innovations have spread throughout all layers of society, restructuring social cleavages.

By way of generational replacement, these ongoing developments have created fundamental alterations in cultural values. Namely, the materialist norms of pre-war generations have largely been deserted, as physical and economic well-being are no longer a principal concern for the overwhelming majority of people. In turn, post-materialist values have come to define younger generations; that is to say, concerns over quality of life and self-expression distinguish the anxieties of young persons from those of their predecessors. As a result, old cleavages have dissipated and new goals have been brought to the forefront. Environmental protection, human rights, and sexual equality are examples of the new societal goals within affluent democracies.