Between Renewal and Stability: Party System Change from a Multi-Level Perspective in Brazil (1998–2018)
Jayane Maia / Pedro Costa / Thaís Cavalcante Martins / Matheus Hebling
Between Renewal and Stability: Party System Change from a Multi-Level Perspective in Brazil (1998–2018)
Bulletin of Latin American Research | 2023
Abstract
The growth of the far right and election results in Brazil are often associated with national or large-scale events. The multi-level features of these developments, namely party competition at the sub-national level, are overlooked in the literature. This article argues that changes in the Brazilian national party system – those observed from Bolsonaro's election, mainly – are rooted in sub-national political dynamics. Through a comparative and longitudinal analysis of multi-level executive and legislative elections, we find that, although there are distinct patterns of competition between the national-sub-national and within-country levels, this difference is not evident in volatility.
