The underlying idea linking all contributions to this book is that multiple factors facilitate the emergence of programmatic political parties; they do not fit into a simple formula or a particular sequencing or hierarchy, and operate in ways that seem very contextual. Those influencing factors, as will be discussed further in the concluding chapter, can be categorized according to their facilitating effects into: programmatic enablers (structural conditions such as urbanization, economic development, or institutional capacities that shape the choices faced by politicians and voters); triggers (opportunities to
overcome otherwise unfavourable pre-existing settings for programmatic orientation); lockers (institutional reforms that might contribute to secure, already-produced programmatic gains) and agents (actors whose purpose and deliberate actions drive programmatic strategies). This book analyses the dynamics under which such factors operate, since they are poorly understood.