This book presents a new and conflict-centered theory of successful party-building, drawing on diverse cases from across Latin America.

Where do strong conservative parties come from? While there is a growing scholarly awareness about the importance of such parties for democratic stability, much

This book generates a wealth of new empirical information about Latin American party systems and contributes richly to major theoretical debates about party sys

"Third, the authors investigate the relationship between major parties and the state, revealing the extent to which parties are dependent on state resources to

Around the world, established parties are weakening, and new parties are failing to take root. In many cases, outsiders have risen and filled the void, posing a