Political Parties in contemporary Democracies: Problems and Paradoxes

Abstract

The article examines contemporary antiparty sentiments on the basis of public opinion data from Spain and Latin America. It suggests that the rise of negative attitudes towards parties may be attributed less to the behavior of parties than to contradictions and inconsistencies in citizen beliefs. Consequently, aside for some populist reforms that may inhibit the performance of parties, the consequences and implications of these types of attitudes should be studied in depth.