TY - JOUR
T1 - Partisanship and Autocratization
T2 - Polarization, Power Asymmetry, and Partisan Social Identities in Turkey
AU - Laebens, Melis G.
AU - Öztürk, Aykut
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2020.
PY - 2021/2
Y1 - 2021/2
N2 - Although theories of partisanship were developed for the democratic context, partisanship can be important in electoral autocracies as well. We use survey data to analyze partisanship in an electoral autocracy, Turkey, and find that partisanship is pervasive, strong, and consequential. Using the Partisan Identity Scale to measure partisanship, we show that, like in democracies, partisanship strength is associated with political attitudes and action. Unlike in democracies, however, the ruling party’s superior ability to mobilize supporters through clientelistic linkages makes the association between partisanship and political action weaker for ruling party partisans. We find that partisan identities are tightly connected to the perception that other parties may threaten one’s well-being, and that such fears are widespread on both sides of the political divide. We interpret our findings in light of the autocratization process Turkey went through. Our contribution highlights the potential of integrating regime dynamics in studies of partisanship.
AB - Although theories of partisanship were developed for the democratic context, partisanship can be important in electoral autocracies as well. We use survey data to analyze partisanship in an electoral autocracy, Turkey, and find that partisanship is pervasive, strong, and consequential. Using the Partisan Identity Scale to measure partisanship, we show that, like in democracies, partisanship strength is associated with political attitudes and action. Unlike in democracies, however, the ruling party’s superior ability to mobilize supporters through clientelistic linkages makes the association between partisanship and political action weaker for ruling party partisans. We find that partisan identities are tightly connected to the perception that other parties may threaten one’s well-being, and that such fears are widespread on both sides of the political divide. We interpret our findings in light of the autocratization process Turkey went through. Our contribution highlights the potential of integrating regime dynamics in studies of partisanship.
KW - Turkey
KW - autocratization
KW - clientelism
KW - partisanship
KW - polarization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85095786175&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0010414020926199
DO - 10.1177/0010414020926199
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85095786175
SN - 0010-4140
VL - 54
SP - 245
EP - 279
JO - Comparative Political Studies
JF - Comparative Political Studies
IS - 2
ER -