The formation of local party systems in London boroughs

In this paper, the author reviews a concept of local party systems. More specifically, the author studies party systems of boroughs as inner-city councils. Here the author focuses on the role of ethnosocial factors in formation of party-system, more specifically, on characteristics of boroughs residents. The hypothesis predicts that ethnosocial factors play the main role in local party system transformation. There is a growing body of researches which demonstrates quantitive characteristics of counties mainly influence a local party system. However, there is little research on effect of social characteristics of electorate on local party system formation and shaping. Based on data analysis of national and local elections results, the transformation of local government was examined. Local elections results were characterized as different from national elections results due to specifics of dynamics and changing geography. In order to classify municipalities based on ethnosocial characteristics, the cluster analysis was used. To investigate the effect of ethosocial factors on voting the author used ecological approach. Results show local party systems can be based on social-economic, ethnoreligious characteristics of the borough population. Boroughs characterized as a mostly white and economically stable tend to pay attention to local issues more than others. Immigrant boroughs tend to the left. An uprise of local political systems was investigated in London basing on change in voter preferences with the shift from main national parties to smaller ones.

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