@phdthesis{8060354,
  abstract     = {{This doctoral dissertation aims to contribute to a more profound academic comprehension of the role of non-national lists in local politics. It is innovative in the proposed conceptual refinement of non-national lists and elaborates some analytical tools to add nuance to the analysis of this heterogeneous local phenomenon. The proposed tools are applied in the local multipartisan context of Flanders to study the differentiated meaning of non-national lists in Flemish municipalities. The analysis focusses on two crucial dimensions: 1) the actual independence of non-national lists in Flanders and 2)de extent to which they perform traditional local party functions. Political parties thus serve as main point of reference and the extensive party literature provides some valuable conceptual frameworks to analyse these two central characteristics of non-national lists. Yet, political parties have evolved substantially and are increasingly less able to perform some traditional representative functions. In a context of increasing dealignment of the electorate and rapprochement to the state, their legitimacy seems waning and despite their adaptive character, many contemporary scholars suggest that parties are in decline. These national party evolutions represent an additional analytical dimension to study the differentiated role of non-national lists in Flemish municipalities by assessing how these lists are associated with national party changes.
Based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods this dissertation reveals the differentiation in how different sub-types of non-national lists in Flanders are related to (developing) political parties both at national and at local level. The analysis demonstrates that non-national lists are closely intertwined with traditional parties and are guided by a similar electoral partisan logic. The adaptive and stratarchical character of political parties is confirmed as local party branches demonstrate a substantial degree of autonomy to respond to local challenges and engage in specific local alliances with other parties or independent candidates. By nominally dissociating from  national party politics and emphasizing their focus on local political problems, non-national lists aim to re-integrate dealigned candidates and voters in local politics. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the autonomous position of local party branches fosters elite formation in local parties. Formal party organs and control mechanisms have little grip on the elected councillors who assume a dominant position in local policy decisions. Lastly, the analysis suggests that non-national lists give a different meaning to their representative function as these lists are presented as open and responsive local networks with pragmatic and flexible party programs. The study concludes that non-national lists in Flanders cannot be considered as independent relics of an ancient political era, but neither as heralds of party decline. Rather they seem to reflect a change in the representative claims on which political parties rely.}},
  author       = {{Heyerick, An}},
  isbn         = {{9789461974167}},
  keywords     = {{Flanders,Party change,Local parties,Independent lists}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{X, 205 + annexe}},
  publisher    = {{Ghent University. Faculty of Political and Social Sciences}},
  school       = {{Ghent University}},
  title        = {{Independent relics or heralds of party decline?: the role of non-national lists in local politics}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}