| OCR Text |
Show 152 niche parties to emerge. Now, these niche parties are themselves contributing to the ongoing evolution of party systems. Mainstream parties can no longer comfortably expect to attract certain populations of voters, rather, they now face a more competitive party environment, including one or more niche parties. This necessity to adapt is not limited to elections, but also means mainstream parties cannot expect to repeatedly rely on the same electoral alliance or governing coalition partners. They may have to consider, and have in some European states, using niche parties to fill these roles. Knowing more about the strategic choices facing niche and mainstream parties, as well as the interplay between strategies, is a critical facet to understanding and explaining these broader system changes. Niche Party Strategies: A Missing Piece of the Puzzle Previous research on the strategic aspect of niche party success focused exclusively on the strategies employed by mainstream parties and provided little to no agency for the niche parties (Meguid 2005, 2008; Pardos-Pardo 2015). This project, in rectifying that oversight by adding in strategic components of niche parties, offers a more complete understanding of what factors shape the electoral fortunes of niche parties. Three strategic options facing niche parties will be discussed: the impact of running in electoral alliances, the impact of having experience in a governing coalition, and how dedicated niche parties are to their "big" issue. In the instances of electoral alliances and coalition experience, situations that are often argued as indicators of a party's rising status in the party system do not actually enhance the electoral success of niche parties. In terms of dedication to their "big" issue, MCCP niche parties make small electoral gains |
