Democratic innovations and political parties: reevaluating the influence of ideology

Does party ideology influence the adoption of democratic innovations? Left-wing parties are often seen as champions of citizen participation due to their accredited commitment to social and political equality. However, empirical studies do not offer a clear view on their specific influence on the ex...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Ramis-Moyano, Rodrigo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/390017
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/390017
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105004850486
Access Level:acceso embargado
Palabra clave:Citizen participation
Democratic innovations
Ideology
Political parties
Systematic literature review
http://metadata.un.org/sdg/10
Reduce inequality within and among countries
Descripción
Sumario:Does party ideology influence the adoption of democratic innovations? Left-wing parties are often seen as champions of citizen participation due to their accredited commitment to social and political equality. However, empirical studies do not offer a clear view on their specific influence on the expansion of such procedures. To address this gap, we systematically review all English-language studies published between 1990 and 2024 that consider party ideology as a potential driver for the adoption of democratic innovations. Our findings indicate that although party ideology significantly influenced the early adoption of democratic innovations–particularly participatory budgeting –, its impact has become less pronounced over time. However, ideology remains crucial in shaping the characteristics of the democratic innovations which are adopted, with left-wing parties favouring more inclusive and deliberative procedures. Notably, differences in empowerment emerge between Social democrats and parties further to their left, reflecting their divergent conceptions of democracy, and highlighting that ideology still shapes political praxis.