Opportunity, not Grievance: The Strategic Entry of the Norwegian Labor Party

• In Event: Electoral Systems, Parties, and Representation

Abstract

Why do political parties represent the interests of some groups, and not others? This pa- per demonstrates the importance of electoral geography to new party formation through a historical analysis of the Norwegian Labor Party. Here, by focusing on the timing of Labor’s entry and the location of its early contests, it becomes clear that Labor’s decision to enter electoral competition reflected new opportunities—changes in costs and benefits of competition—rather than the emergence of new demands or grievances. This anal- ysis suggests, therefore, that an answer to the question of why some groups, and not others, are represented by political parties, lies in understanding who (which groups) have benefitted from changes in electoral geography.

Author

• Karen Long Jusko, Stanford University