Enfrågepartier och populism: En studie av representation

This paper is focused on trying to answer the questions of how local political niche parties gain representation in the municipalities of Sweden. Could a lack of representation in a specific political question lead to the political advancement of a niche party? The main theory is based on the concept of “representation gap” and “voting behavior”. This theory is being tested against two alternative theories to see how they correspond to the outcome of local elections. Both the main theory and the alternative’s have assimilated Cas Muddes definition of populism as part of the explanation for the advancement of local niche parties. In order to explore both the main theory and the alternative ones, a Comparison are then made between four Swedish municipalities: Gothenburg, Lund, Stockholm and Skellefteå. The outcome of this investigation asks for further research in the subject, both in connection to the main hypothesis and the alternatives. The paper finds interesting relations regarding representation in different municipalities in connection to different forms of populist parties in connection to niche- and more established parties.