This document discusses key concepts related to political parties. It covers the growing autonomy of parliaments, expansion of suffrage, and avenues to political power. It defines political parties as broad coalitions that recruit, nominate, and elect candidates to control the government according to their ideas and policies. Political parties exist in the electorate through party identification, in government through officeholders, and as organizations with officials and volunteers. Parties serve to intermediate between citizens and government by defining objectives and nominating candidates. The document also discusses types of political parties including elite, mass, and catch-all parties, as well as systems with dominant parties, two parties, or multiple parties.
5. Growing Autonomy of Parliaments
Expansion of Suffrage
Avenues to Political Power
6.
7. “A body of men united,
for promoting by their
joint endeavors the
national interest, upon
some particular
principle in which they
are all agreed”
Edmund Burke
8. Inter and Intra-Party Variation
Political Party vs. Political Ideology
Conservative Democrats, Liberal Republicans
Politicians’ Choices
▪ Vote or caucus with another party
▪ Defect party and join another
9.
10. A broad coalition of individuals who:
(1) Recruit, nominate, and elect candidates for office
(2) Under a given label
(3) To control the government
(4) In accordance with their ideas and policies.
11.
12.
13. Party-in-the-Electorate
Loyalty and Identification with Party
Party Identification (“PID”)
Case Examples: United States, United Kingdom
What happens if someone has different views?
▪ Likert Scale
Strong
Lib
Weak
Lib
Lean
Lib
Mod
Lean
Cons
Weak
Cons
Strong
Cons
14. Party Organization
Party Officials, Committees, Volunteers, Staff
Functions of Party Organizations
Party-in-Government
Officeholders and Candidates
Local, State, National Levels
Examples: President, PM, Majority/Minority Leaders
15.
16. Intermediary Between Citizens and Govt.
Bring Public Together; Define and Accomplish Objectives
Competition with Others (e.g. interest groups, media)
Nominate Candidates for Office
National, State, and Local Levels
Role of Party Varies (e.g. party list)
Contest Elections
Mobilize Electorate; Encourage Voting
Engage Supporters, Persuade Undecided, Minimize Opposition
17.
18. Organize Government
Role Varies (Parliamentary vs. Presidential System)
Provide Accountability
Government Responsibility
Importance of PID
Prospective and Retrospective Voting
Manage Conflict
Reconciling Group Demands
19.
20.
21. Elite or Cadre Parties
Mass Parties
Catch-All Parties
22.
23. Membership restricted to political elites
Quality of membership
Internal development within legislatures
Example: “King Caucus” in United States
24.
25. Replaced elite control of parties
Challenges from non-governmental actors
Quantity of membership
“Cradle-to-Grave” organizations
28. Policy-Seeking Party
Focused on issue positions
Vote-Seeking Party
Goal is Winning Elections
Office-Seeking Party
Emphasis on holding office
29.
30.
31. Dominant-Party System
One party controls government
Lack of competition in elections
Subtype: Single-Party System (e.g. Nazis, CCP)
Two-Party System
Two major parties struggle for power
Platforms highlight party differences
Multiparty System
More than two parties
Emphasis on coalitions
32. Dominant-Party System
Degree of dominance by major party
▪ 100% or 51% of vote
Two-Party System
Alternation of power between two parties
One party wins often in certain period
Multiparty System
Fragmentation vs. Concentration
33.
34. Can’t you just count them?
Effective Number of Parties
Calculation:
▪ Proportion of seats held by party squared
▪ Add squares together and divide by 1
▪ Example: Three parties (P1 – 40%, P2 – 40%, P3 – 20%)
▪ 1 / [(0.40*0.40) + (0.40*0.40) + (0.20*0.20)]
▪ .16 + .16 + .04 = .36 1 / .36 = 2.78
35. Persistence and Electoral Success
Stability of Ideologies / Platforms
Emphasis on Institutions
36.
37. What is relationship with the State?
Pluralism – Many groups; “marketplace of ideas”
Corporatism – Relationship w/ groups, State