Abstract
The determinants of party fragmentation in the two dozen cantonal parliaments of Switzerland are examined. Empirically, it is shown that the number of legislative parties in the Swiss member states is on the one hand a function of the religious heterogeneity of the cantons, and on the other a function of the effective threshold. Finally, socio-structural characteristics (urbanization, population density) are linked to the number of legislative parties in Swiss cantons.

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