The role of distinctiveness in party survival and support

Political parties are essential to the functioning of democratic systems, and the role of their policy positions in electoral success has been widely studied. This thesis builds on this literature to explore the impact of party distinctiveness -- the degree to which a political party's ideological position is distinguished from that of its rivals. The thesis chapters investigate the role of party distinctiveness in three areas of party politics: party electoral performance, party survival, and voter support. Using cross-national data from Europe, the first paper draws on cross-sectional data from Europe, examines party survival and finds that parties with low distinctiveness are less likely to survive long-term. The second paper examines the electoral performance of parties and demonstrates that distinctiveness plays a significant role in a party's electoral success. A third paper uses individual-level survey data from the UK to investigate whether voters reward perceived party distinctiveness, finding that voters indicate stronger support for parties they perceive to be more distinctive. The thesis concludes by discussing the contributions and limitations of the research, as well as potential directions for further research.