Finland mellan 'öst' och 'väst' - en jämförelse av 23 politiska system i EU

Authors

• Susanne Jungerstam-Mulders

Abstract

The aim of this article is to examine differences and similarities between 23 political systems of the enlarged EU, between Finland and the fifteen ‘old’ EU member states, on the one hand, and the eight ‘new’ EU members with a Communist past, on the other. The article focuses on four aspects of the political system: fragmentation of the party system, ideological orientation, static structures (parliaments and electoral systems) and dynamic structures (volatility and turnout). In conclusion, it appears that there is as much diversity within the groups as between the groups, and that the ‘new’ EU members are not as distinct from the ‘old’ EU as often is suggested. The study also shows that the Finnish political system has more in common with the ‘new’ EU member states than with the ‘old’ ones in respect of some features, whereas it clearly distances itself from the ‘new’ EU members in terms of volatility and ideological orientation.