Abstract
In this article we reassess the thesis of Lipset and Rokkan in a non-European context and thereby seek to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between social divisions and party creation. Political parties are usually generated by the politicization of social cleavages that exist within societies. The critical question is why certain divisions become politicized and others do not. Using the Philippines as a case study, we seek to explain how acute social dissensions could fail to give rise to competitive political parties. We contend that certain institutional forms could significantly influence whether social conflicts are translated into political form.
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