By:
Tyler Van De Voort
Elliot Krause
Tommy Pethan
Hour 1
What is interest aggregation?
Interest aggregation is a process that occurs
when the shared demands of a groups are
organized into a political program.
This leads to the formation of political parties,
which create a platform that meets the needs of
the party’s followers.
Personal Interest Aggregation
The patron-client network : A structure in which a central officeholder,
authority figure, or group provides benefits to supporters in exchange for
their loyalty.
The book says that the Patron-Client Network is so essential to
comparative politics, it is analogous to the cell in biology.
Feudalism relied extensively on Patron-Client Networks.
Nowadays, U.S. and Britain have relatively low levels of Patron-Client
Networks, compared to Egypt, India, and Nigeria.
Institutional Interest Aggregation
Patron-Client Networks are a staple of personal interest aggregation, but
Associational Groups and Institutional Groups define Institutional Interest
Aggregation.
Associational Groups express demands and support a certain political party.
For example, Labour Unions coagulate their interests onto one political
platform that meets their needs.
The process of forming Associational groups brings together people of
different subgroups.
Institutional Groups include governmental bureaucracies and militaries. They
try to expand their interests by going out and looking for problems that need
fixing.
Military Institutional groups occur in the same way, except that they force to
implement their programs. Military organizations are decisive when their
organized government breaks down.
Competitive Party Systems and Interest Aggregation
There are two types of party systems:
Competitive Party Systems have parties that try to build electoral support in hopes
of winning an election. Can be challenged by other parties with different platforms.
U.S. has a competitive party system.
Authoritarian Party Systems have parties that want to control society, and nothing
else. Are rarely influenced by other Interest Groups.
Competitive Party Systems and Interest Aggregation
Competitive Party Systems and Elections
How do elections work?
There are two election setups that allow groups to gain representation in government.
Single-member district plurality election rule, or the Plurality rule, means that the
winner of and election needs more votes than the second place candidate. A majority
is not necessary to win this type of election.
This process can be called “The first past the post,” a horse racing term.
Then there is something called proportional representation. A party will offer many
candidates for election to a legislative office. The number of votes each party receives
is directly proportional to the amount of representation received.
More votes =
more representation.
Competitive Party Systems and Interest Aggregation
These two election setups create different results.
These results, or tendencies, are explained by Duverger’s Law. It is named
after French political scientist Maurice Duverger.
The plurality systems create a two party system, each party supports one
candidate, and the parties compete against each other. The United States
uses this system.
Proportional party systems tend to create multiple parties. The smaller
parties have a chance to gain representation in a proportional system, but
they would be overlooked in a plurality system.
Competitive Party Systems and Interest Aggregation
Implications of the Election
Ideally, the election should allow voters to make a collective choice on government.
Voters should be able to change the way their country is run. This is the obvious
function. Shifts in voter ideals change the outcomes of elections, allowing for
change.
On the other hand, some political systems use the elections to validate their
government. Voters are forced to symbolically express their support by voting for a
predetermined winner. Egypt has had elections of this caliber.
I choose you.
Competitive Parties in Government
Possible results from election:
- Single party wins majority of vote.
- “First past the post” – majority not needed.
- Preelection coalition governments – parties work
together to maximize votes…may even
govern together.
Aggregation of interests at government level when elections do
not create a majority party or preelection coalition government:
- Makes citizens feel that their vote has little influence.
- Minority interests can be represented.
Competitive Party Systems and
Interest Aggregation
Classifying Competitive Party Systems
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Majoritarian two-party systems – dominated by two parties
Majority-coalition systems – pre-electoral coalitions between parties are
established
Multiparty systems – usually no single party wins legislative majority
Consensual party system – fairly similar policies and parties trust in the
political system
Conflictual party system – main parties antagonistic towards each other
Accommodative - mixture of both consensual and conflictual
A higher degree of antagonism is more likely to cause political instability
than the number of parties.
Competitive Party Systems and
Interest Aggregation
Countries and Their Type of Party System
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Consensual majoritarian party system: United States - Britain
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Consensual multiparty system: Norway - Sweden
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Conflictual majoritarian party system: Austria (1918-1934)
Conflictual multiparty system: French Fourth Republic - Weimar Germany
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Accommodative multiparty system: Netherlands – Belgium
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Consensual majority-coalition party system: Germany
Competitive Party Systems and
Interest Aggregation
AUTHORITARIAN PARTY SYSTEMS
• Aggregation takes place within ranks of the party or in
interactions with business groups, landowners, and
institutional groups in bureaucracy or military.
• Citizens do not possess luxury of choosing between
party alternatives…controlled elections are commonly
held instead.
Exclusive Governing Parties
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- Controls political resources through one party
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- Free activity by social groups, citizens, and government agencies is not
permitted
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- Has been tried to aid in massive social change…many cases of unsuccess
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USSR, North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba
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China – economy is not completely controlled, yet legitimacy of other
political groups is not recognized
Authoritarian Party Systems
Inclusive Governing Parties
-These Systems Recognize the autonomy of
social cultural and economic groups
-They do not try to control these groups
-They do not provide political resources to
the people
Authoritarian Party Systems
Military and Interest Aggregation
• Breakdown of democratic governments
often results in a military Government
• Military can also wield strong political
power in civilian governments
• Drawbacks- Lack of internal aggregation,
compromising, and communication, and
legitimacy
Trends In Interest Aggregation
• Democracy has been growing
• Competitive governments are over 50%
• Militaries now are more likely to use
influence behind the scene than direct rule
Significance Of Interest
Aggregation
• Aggregation process narrows policy
options
• Aggregation determines polarization of
policy making body