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"Party Change and Adaptation in Latin America" published on by Oxford University Press.

Contrary to longstanding arguments that equate parties with durable, information-rich brand names, the relabeling of parties is not rare, and in many countries it is not even very unusual. This paper provides the first effort to document this neglected phenomenon. It finds that across European democracies roughly a third of all parties have relabeled themselves at least once since 1945, and a similar proportion of elections include at least one party running under a new name. It then presents analyses of why parties change names more frequently in some circumstances, finding support for three explanations derived from the existing literature: parties with longer-standing brands are less likely to shed them, but relabeling is more likely for parties that suffer electoral setbacks and for parties in weaker party systems. Finally, it presents evidence that the end of Soviet communism made left parties more likely to rename themselves.

AbstractThe arrival of Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva and the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers' Party, PT) at the helm of the Brazilian federal government in 2003 represented the culmination of a slow and deep-rooted process of party transformation. Attributable partly to the inevitable consequences of the party gradually inserting itself into governmental institutions, and partly to strategic decisions made by the dominant coalition that had controlled the PT since 1995, these transformations significantly changed the organisational features of the party, paving its way to the federal government. This article analyses these processes, and the subsequent changes throughout the Lula government, from an organisational perspective, linking exogenous challenges and the party's genetic model with the strategies consciously adopted by thepetistaleadership.

This article is the introduction to a special issue of articles written in honour of Peter Mair. The general theme of the issue is party adaptation and change, which is traced here through an analysis of contributions by Peter Mair as an individual author or with co-authors. The result is an assessment of the current state of the art of what can be cumulatively considered Peter Mair's theory of party adaptation and of the debate it has generated up to and including the contributions included in the special issue itself.

Climate Change and Adaptation transcends many policy areas and is an evolving discipline. The Report presented by the Climate Change Committee on Adaptation (CCCA) must be seen as an initial step that complements the work of the Department of Physics within the University of Malta (UoM) with regards to the Second National Communication of Malta to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Report presented by the Committee should serve as the basis of a mature, apolitical, national discussion on the potential impact of climate change adaptation on Malta. The arising discussion should be supported by an ongoing communication process that is directed to inform, educate, and instill awareness amongst the population at large on this important policy domain. The Report is not exhaustive. The breadth and depth of climate change and adaptation limits the extent to which all arising issues are explored and studied, and for which solutions are presented. The Government, knowledge institutions, non government organisations, and think thanks should use the Report as a spring board from which they extend further knowledge of the impact of climate change adaptation on Malta by expanding on policy matters presented in the Report as well as to fill in lacunae on policy matters not addressed by the Report. The Committee has neither prioritized nor costed the recommendations it puts forward. This is a conscious decision taken by the Committee. The Committee is aware that there will be those who will criticise it on this matter. Be that as it may, the Committee is of the considered opinion that a prioritisation and costing exercise should only be carried out following a comprehensive public discussion were the policy proposals presented are debated, new policy proposals put forward by the public, non governmental organisations, et al, and specific, as well as generic, reactions to the Report listened to, examined, and reviewed. The Committee has also not presented recommendations with regards to where the loci of responsibility for climate change and adaptation should rest and the resource capacity required should rest to take forward and implement the final recommendations following the discussion process. This is again a conscious decision taken by the Committee. Once again, the Committee is aware that there will be those who will criticise it on this matter. Be that as it may, this Report must not be seen in isolation from the National Strategy for Policy and Abatement Measures Relating to the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions approved by the House of Representatives in September 2009. The Committee underlines that the National Strategy for Policy and Abatement Measures Relating to the Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions had proposed the setting up of a Climate Change Division within the Malta Resources Authority which will 'own and co-ordinate Climate Change adaptation and mitigation policy at both a national and international level'. ; peer-reviewed