The National Growth of a Regional Party

Evidence of Linkages between Constituency Associations in the Conservative Party of Canada

Bibliographic Data

ID6237526
AuthorsRob Currie-Wood (0000-0002-0598-2045, Carleton University, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume53
Issue3
Pages618-637
Publication date2020-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCanadian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0008-4239 • E-ISSN: 1744-9324
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0008423920000360
OpenAlexW3043800529
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited33

Reforms to campaign finance laws at the beginning of the twenty-first century led to concerns that Canadian political parties would become more centralized, thereby altering the stratarchical arrangement between local party organizations and the national party office. This article extends the period of analysis to 2008 and 2011. Although concerns were not unfounded, data reported in this article reveal that horizontal linkages developed between constituency associations in the Conservative Party of Canada, instead of downward money transfers from the national office. The article compares the Conservative party to its major competitors and explores three regional cases where these linkages are prevalent. Tobit regression is used to examine whether monetary transfers are coordinated by the central office or initiated by local constituency associations. Given weak evidence for the latter, the findings demonstrate that parties with a reliable base of support can leverage their campaign resources from one region into a national presence

Competitor analysis · Economics · Leverage (statistics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Tobit model · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Public Administration

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