TLDR: Revising assumptions on party systems and liberal democracy

A long-held view by many experts is that liberalism and democracy benefit from the institutionalisation of political party systems. However, a recent study published in the Italian Political Science Review  confronts this widely-held assumption. This edition of TLDR reports on why the institutionalisation of party systems is not, actually, always beneficial to the liberal dimensions of democracy and what can be done to foster liberalism in democratic countries. 

Key finding: By measuring the degree of party system institutionalisation and comparing it to the quality of a country’s democracy, the authors found that increased institutionalisation does not, in fact, lead to more robust liberalism in democracies.