The Effects of Ethnic Parties on National Unity: Polarisation vs Inclusion

The political mobilisation of ethnicity has led to tensions between ethnic groups in, for example, Belgium and Canada, and to violent conflict with disastrous consequences in such diverse cases as Cyprus, Rwanda, and Sri Lanka. Some observers point to the particularistic politics of ethnic parties as fomenting ethnic tensions and call for their regulation. Others argue that ethnic parties may be valuable vehicles in solving such tensions because they contribute to the integration of diverse ethnic groups. However, both views are so far based on assumptions rather than empirical evidence; to date, the effect of ethnic parties on ordinary people within society has not been examined directly.

The proposed project will fill this gap, contributing to a better understanding of the links between ethnic parties and national unity within the population: Does the presence of ethnic parties affect the way people perceive the ethnic "other" or the nation? Is this effect positive, because ethnic parties as emancipatory vehicles increase the inclusion of ethnic minorities within the population? Or is it negative, because ethnic parties raise awareness of ethnic differences? To answer these questions, the project will first conduct a global comparative analysis of 105 diverse countries, using a new multilevel dataset. It will then conduct in-depth studies of two countries to examine the nature of these links. Both the quantitative and in-depth analyses are needed to better understand whether there are general links between the presence of ethnic parties and diminished national unity throughout different contexts and to identify the nature of this link in important cases.

The project will provide both methodological and substantive contributions. Methodologically, the project will provide two main innovations. First, it will integrate multiple quantitative and qualitative methods and techniques, currently under-used in UK social science research on ethnic politics, and in doing so provide a new, extensive multilevel dataset for further research. Second, the project will forge new links between the project team and international experts working in democracy promotion and, in particular, party assistance. Stakeholders will be involved in the design, execution, and dissemination of the research at different stages throughout and after the project, including an expert survey in the first phase of the project to inform data collection and compilation, consultation on case selection, interviews of experts and local stakeholders during the in-depth case studies, as well as a workshop to identify the contributions of the research to the stakeholders.

Substantively, the research will shed light on the compatibility of diversity, democracy, and social cohesion and thus address the ESRC priority "A Vibrant and Fair Society". The findings will inform research not only on ethnic parties and ethnic conflict management but also more broadly on the interaction of power, political rhetoric, and identity. In doing so, the research will advance our understanding of the behaviour of people, social groupings, and organisations, and of how to influence them, deepening the evidence base that can inform policy and practice in the UK and internationally. Both local actors as well as international organisations have become increasingly active in the field of political party regulation and engineering in order to support democratisation and democratic consolidation. Examining the effect of ethnic parties within the population can provide valuable lessons for party assistance strategies to reduce the likelihood of ethnic tensions in diverse societies.

Who will benefit from this research and how will they benefit?
Local actors and international organisations have become increasingly active in the field of political party regulation and assistance in order to support democratic consolidation (e.g. Reilly 2008; Bogaards et al. 2010). This research will benefit these actors by providing a new evidence base for the effect of ethnic parties on social cohesion, on which policy strategies may be based. In particular, the research will benefit five groups of actors:
1. International organisations working on party assistance and social cohesion for democracy consolidation, including the European Network of Political Foundations, the Council of Europe's office for Sustainable Democratic Societies, or the World Bank's team for Social Cohesion and Violence Prevention: The research will inform party assistance strategies by outlining whether and how ethnic parties affect social cohesion and hence whether their promotion may contribute to democratic consolidation. It will also help these organisations to understand and respond to public statements by, for, or against ethnic parties in the countries studied.
2. Party officials of ethnic parties from the two in-depth case studies: The research will inform on party mobilisation strategies and how ethnic representation can be promoted without fostering perceptions of sectarianism. The international context will help parties to learn from other cases, while the in-depth analysis will demonstrate the effects of their political rhetoric.
3. Local policy-makers from the two case studies: The quantitative data analysis will provide evidence on the effects of ethnic parties within the population and hence on whether ethnic party regulation is desirable. This evidence base will help with the articulation or review of ethnic party regulations.
4. Ethnic party members and voters in the two case studies: The research will provide party members and the public with new insights into how ethnic parties contribute to national politics and how their interests are represented. For the two in-depth countries both national data and international context will be available. These insights, disseminated through local media, will give people better information on which to base voting decisions and their own political activity.
5. UK FCO: The research will provide new insights into the impact of ethnic parties on national unity in 105 countries and hence be useful for UK foreign policy planning and the UK response to political change involving ethnic parties.

What will be done to ensure that they benefit from the research?
To facilitate these outcomes, the groups will be involved in design, execution, and dissemination of the research at different stages throughout and after the project (see Pathways to Impact), through
1. a survey among international organisations on issues encountered during party assistance in ethnically diverse societies, with results made available to participants in the form of a policy brief and to local organisations in the two case studies in meetings during fieldwork;
2. consultation of international organisations on final case selection for in-depth analysis; and
3. involvement of international organisations, UK FCO officials, and local party officials and policy-makers of the two case studies through interviews and a workshop to identify the contributions of the research to the stakeholders, with results made available to participants in the form of policy briefs.
4. The case studies will enable the project team to develop close working relationships with party officials, policy-makers, and the local offices of international organisations, which I intend to continue beyond the grant. These links will be used to promote the research in local media (e.g. newspapers, websites, and radio), thus reaching a wider public audience of party members and voters.