Partisan influence requires that parties propose clearly different policy alternatives to voters. If there are no clear constituencies, with consistent policy demands, why should parties defend such alternatives? In times of budget austerity, internationalization of the economy and limited manoeuvrability of governments, what is their capacity to do so? As a result of their ideological profile, their electoral strategy, or their internal dynamics, political parties decide which issues to emphasize and which position to defend. This panel aims at assessing how far parties differ in their electoral offer, and under what conditions parties tend to differ most.

This panel will thus focus on the policy content of party competition and try to answer the following questions: do parties differ with respect to the issues emphasized and the positions defended in their electoral campaigns? Is there a trend towards less differentiation over time? More generally, can we shed light on variations by considering party system features, issue ownership, socio-structural changes in society and evolving constituencies?