POLITICAL PARTIES
An Instrument in Shaping the Collective Interest
Party Systems
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Competitive party systems
Work to build electoral support; find what voters want,
get supporters involved, and represent these interests
within the political process
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Authoritarian party systems
Noncompetitive systems that seek to direct society; in
some regimes, government & party closely linked, not
opposition parties permitted.
Competitive Party Systems I
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Majoritarian party systems
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Accept democratic principles and compete for
governmental positions through the electoral process in
democracies
Either dominated by just two parties (US), or they have
two substantial parties and election laws that create
legislative majorities for one of them (Britain)
Multiparty systems
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The multiparty systems have combinations of parties,
voter support, and election laws that virtually ensure no
single party wins a legislative majority.
Competitive Party Systems II
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Consensual party systems
Dominating parties not too far apart on policy, have
reasonable amount of trust in each other and political
system
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Conflictual party systems
Dominating parties are far apart on issues or highly
antagonistic toward each other
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Consociational party systems
Mixed characteristics of the two main party systems
Authoritarian Party Systems
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Exclusive governing parties
Insist on control over political resources by the party
leadership; do not permit activity by social groups,
citizens, or other governmental agencies.
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Inclusive governing parties
Recognize and attempt to coordinate various social
groups in the society; accept and aggregate certain
autonomous interests, while repressing others.
Comparing Parties in Authoritarian States
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Traditional authoritarian Regimes
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Communist states
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Parties are less significant because of rule by an group who
rule in their own interests, especially the gaining of wealth
and privilege.
Parties were the central political instrument though which
leaders sought, and sometimes achieved, total control over
society. Hence there are few cases of authoritarian rule
where the political party is the true source of power.
Totalitarian States
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Parties am at total political, social, and economic control
Subjugation and attempted transformation of society
Extensive use of violence
Purpose of Political Party
IN DEMOCRACY
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Citizens organize political activity through parties
Parties develop out of differences about how to achieve
common goals
Want to win office and put forward leaders in government
Want to have an impact on public policy
Even when losing office, parties perform a useful role in a
democracy, by organizing the opposition.
Create important links between the voter, groups and
government.
In order to succeed, parties make the effort to build
consensus
Functions of Political Parties
IN DEMOCRACY
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Parties mobilize ordinary citizens, either to vote or to
achieve some other political goal
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Parties recruit and socialize leaders, even in one-party
states
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Parties provide a long-lasting sense of party identification
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Parties can provide a means for party leaders to control
rank and file members
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Parties provide links between:
branches of government in a separation of powers
 levels of government in a federal system
 citizens and government in all systems
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Functions of Political Parties
IN NON-DEMOCRACY
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Parties mobilize support for the regime
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Parties recruit and train potential leaders
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Parties oversee the bureaucracy
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Parties spy on population (in totalitarian systems)
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Parties link between the bottom and top, but a means of
social control by the top over the bottom
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Parties organize government and formulate government
policies & programs
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Parties socialize people who are closely involved in party
organizations & are engaged in “political education” (in
communist system)
Types of Political Parties I
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Dominant party system (e.g., Japan, Singapore)
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One-party dominates for long periods of time
No legal ban on other parties, but only one party has
chance to win office
There may be informal harassment of opposition parties
Two party system (e.g., US, Canada, Britain)
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Either party has genuine chance to win office, elections
truly competitive
Additional parties not outlawed but have serious difficulty
winning because of electoral system
Voters are limited to two choices
Types of Political Parties II
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Multi-party system (e.g., Italy, Germany)
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Competitive elections within multiple parties ensure that
no one party can dominate for long.
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Parties tend to be more doctrinaire and distinctive, giving
voters more choice.
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In the system, it is difficult for any one party to win a
majority.
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Coalitions with similar parties become necessary.
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The system is less stable because coalition partners may
resign over particular government policies.
Voting and Elections I
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In all democracies, at least one branch of government
is filled through popular election: the legislature.
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In presidential democracies, the chief executive is
elected by the people either directly or indirectly
through an Electoral College or similar institution.
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The main difference is between single-member district
system (one candidate is elected in each district) and
multi-member district elections (as many as 150
different candidates may be elected in a single district)
Voting and Elections II
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Single-member District Elections
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Plurality elections (candidate with the largest number of
votes wins, regardless of the actual number)
Majority elections (the winning candidate must gain the
votes of more than half the voters; if no candidate wins a
majority, there is then often a run-off election to
determine the winner)
Multi-member District Elections
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Usually combined with any variety of proportional
representation (PR) system. PR systems try to assign seats
(e.g., in a legislature) in proportion to the votes that each
party receives.
“Constitutional Choice”
Lijphart, 1993
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In the Westminster or majoritarian model of democracy (in the
form of a powerful present or a Westminster-style, dominant oneparty cabinet), power is concentrated in the hands of the majority
party.
This consensus model of democracy compels PR to be associated
with multiparty systems, coalition governments, and more equal
executive-legislative power relations (in presidentialism, there is
the danger of executive-legislative conflict while president holds
strong and effective leadership role).
The relationship between plurality elections and a two-party
system are mutual (both favor each other).
An argument in favor of plurality systems (e.g., US and UK) has
been that they favor "strong" one-party governments that can
pursue "effective" public policy.
“Constitutional Choice”
Lijphart, 1993
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The records show that parliamentary-PR systems are
better in dealing with the issues of representation,
protection of minority interest, voter participation,
and control of unemployment.
 In the newly democratic and democratizing countries,
the divided societies need peaceful coexistence among
the contending ethnic groups.
 Parliamentary and PR systems facilitate power sharing,
conciliation, and compromise.
 Although one-party cabinets or presidents may well be
able to formulate economic policy with greater ease and
speed in the short run, policies supported by a broad
consensus are more likely to be successfully carried out
and to remain on course.
A “Crisis of Parties”?
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Change of party structure
 In established democracies, weak, decentralized party
organizations and social democratic parties are no
longer fired by ideology.
 In communist states, old-style communist parties
virtually disappear.
Decrease of party income
 Increasingly depend on state subsidies rather than
members’ subscriptions
Party membership become falling & ageing
Voters’ loyalties are weakening
Individual politicians increasingly communicate
with electors directly