Transformations in the Party System in Spain: Beyond the National Frame

The current economic crisis faced by many European countries has also had important effects in the party systems of some of European societies. Spain has been one of the countries that has experienced more severe economic conditions. However, this country has also displayed very important regional disparities in both the intensity of economic crisis and the transformations of electoral behavior. This paper analyses the role that socioeconomic (unemployment, social expenditures cutbacks, regional debts and deficits) and sociopolitical factors (changes in public attitudes, political mobilization) have had for the emergence and success of political parties in Spain. More specifically, we intend to conduct a multilevel analysis to assess the role that regional contextual factors (both socioeconomic and political) and individual-level variables have had on the support for new political forces in the 2014 European Parliament elections in Spain. For this purpose we will use the 2014 Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas post-electoral survey.