INTRODUCTION TO

POLITICS
LECTURES
SESSION 14
PARTIES AND PARY SYSTEMS
 INTRODUCTION
• PARTIES PLAY A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN MODERN
POLITICS
• THEY ARE NEW INVENTIONS, BUT NOW UBIQUITOUS
• THEY EXIST IN ALL POLITICAL SYSTEMS EXCEPT A
FEW
• MODERN POLITICS IS ORGANISED THROUGH THEM
POLITICAL PARTIES: A DEFINITION
• A POLITICAL PARTY IS A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT IS ORGANIZED FRO THE
PURPOSE OF WINNING GOVERNMENT POWER, BY ELECTORAL OR OTHER
MEANS (HEYWOOD, 2007: 272)
• THOUGH OFTEN CONFUSED WITH INTEREST GROUPS, THEY EXIBIT FOUR
KEY FEATURES:
• AIM TO EXERCISE GOVERNMENT POWER BY WINNING ELECTIONS
• ARE ORGANIZED BODIES WITH A FORMAL CARD CARRYING MEMBERSHIP
• ADOPT A BROAD ISSUE FOCUS
• ARE UNITED BY SHARED POLITICAL PREFERENCES AND A GENERAL
IDEOLOGICAL IDENTITY
 PARTY POLITICS
• FOUND IN MOST COUNTRIES AND IN MOST POLITICAL SYSTEMS
• MAY BE AUTHORITARIAN OR DEMOCRATIC
• MAY SEEK POWER THROUGH ELECTIONS OR REVOLUTIONS
• MAY ESPOUSE IDEOLOGIES OF THE LEFT, RIGHT OR CENTRE OR
MAY DISAVOW POLITICAL IDEAS ALTOGETHER
• PARTIES HAVE BEEN CALSSIFED ACCRODING TO THE FOLLOWING:
CADRE vs MASS PARTIES; REPRESENTATIVE vs INTEGRATIVE
PARTIES; CONSTITUTIONAL vs REVOLUTIONARY PARTIES; LEFT
WING vs RIGHT WING PARTIES
 CADRE VS MASS PARTIES
• TERM CADRE INITIALLY USED TO DESCRIBE PARTY NOTABLES
OR INFORMAL GROUP OF LEADERS WHO DOMINATE A PARTY
• CADRE PARTIES RELY ON POLITICALLY ACTIVE ELITE THAT
OFFER IDEOLOGICAL DISCIPLINE TO THE MASSES
• MASS PARTIES, ON THE OTHER HAND, PLACE EMPHASIS ON
BROAD MEMBERSHIP AND ELECTORAL BASE
• HERE, STRESS IS PUT ON RECRUITMENT AND ORGANISATION
RATHER THAN IDEOLOGY AND POLITICAL CONVICTION
 REPRESENTATIVE vs INTEGRATIVE
PARTIES
• KEY FUNCTION OF REPRESENTATIVE PARTIES IS SECURING
VOTES IN ELECTIONS
• HENCE, THEY ATTEMPT TO REFLECT THAN SHAPE PUBLIC
OPINION BY PLACING PRAGMATISM BEFORE PRINCIPLE
• INTEGRATIVE PARTIES, IN CONTRAST, ARE ADOPT PROACTIVE
RATHER THAN REACTIVE POLITICAL STARTEGIES
• THEY WISH TO MOBILISE, EDUCATE AND INSPIRE MASSES
RATHER THAN RESPOND TO THEIR CONCERNS
CONSTITUTIONAL vs REVOLUTIONARY
PARTIES
• CONSTITUTIONAL PARTIES ACKNOWLEDGE THE RIGHTS AND ENTITLEMENTS OF
OTHER PARTIES
• THEY THUS OPERATE WITHIN A FRAMEWORK OF RULES AND CONSTRAINTS
• THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE DIVISION BETWEEN PARTY AND STATE AND BETWEEN
THE PARTY IN POWER AND STATE INSTITUTIONS
• THEY ALSO AKNOWLEDGE AND RESPECT THE RULES OF ELECTORAL
COMPETITION
• IN CONTRAST, REVOLUTIONARY PARTIES ARE ANTISYSTEM AND
ANTICONSTITUTIONAL
• THEY AIM TO SEIZE POWER AND OVERTHROW EXISTING CONSTITUTIONAL
STRUCTURE USING A VARIETY OF TACTICS AS INSURRECTION AND POPULAR
REVOLUTION
 WING vs RIGHT WING PARTIES
• LEFT WING PARTIES ARE COMMITED TO CHANGE
• TRADITIONALLY DRAW SUPPORT FROM THE RANKS OF THE
POOR AND DISADVANTAGED
• RIGHT WING PARTIES GENERALLY UPHOLD THE EXISTING
SOCIAL ORDER AND ARE A FORCE FOR CONTINUITY
• SUPPORTERS INCLUDE THE MIDDLE CLASS
 FUNCTIONS OF PARTIES
• PARTIES HAVE BEEN VIEWED TO FULFILL A NUMBER OF
FUNCTIONS:
• REPRESENTATION (RESPONDING TO AND ARTICULATING THE
VIEWS OF MEBERS AND VOTERS)
• ELITE FORMATION AND RECRUITMENT (PROVIDES STATES WITH
POLITICAL LEADERS AND TRAINING IN SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND
EXPERIENCE)
• GOAL FORMATION (SETTING OUT AND ACHIEVING COLLECTIVE
GOALS IN SOCIETY)
 FUNCTIONS OF PARTIES
• INTEREST ARTICULATION AND AGGREGATION (VEHICLES
THROUGH WHICH VARIOUS SOCIETAL INTERETS ARE PROMOTED)
• SOCIALIZATION AND MOBILIZATION ( KEY AGENTS OF
POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION AND EDUCATION THROUGH
CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTORAL COMPETETION)
• ORGANIZATION OF GOVERNMENT (DO NOT ONLY HELP IN
FORMING GOVERNMENT, BUT ALSO ENGENDERS STABILITY AND
COHERENCE, FACILITATE COOPERATION BETWEEN LEGISLATURE
AND EXECUTIVE AND OFFERS A COUNTERPOINT TO GOVERNMENT
POWER
 POWER WITHIN PARTIES
• WHERE DOES POWER LIES WITHIN PARTIES?
• CAN INTERNAL PARTY DEMOCRACY BE ACHIEVED? HOW?
• OSTROGORSKI ARGUED THAT PARTY MACHINE IS CONTROLLED BY A CAUCUS OF
SENIOR PARTY FIGURES
• SUPPORTED BY MICHEL’S ‘IRON LAW OF OLIGARCHY’ WHICH ARGUES THAT POWER
WITHIN PARTIES IS CONCENTRATED IN THE HANDS OF A SMALL GROUP OF PARTY
LEADERS
• ATTEMPTS, HOWEVER, HAVE BEE MADE TO STRENGTHEN THE DEMOCRATIC AND
PARTICIPATORY FEATURES OF PARTIES THROUGH REFORM
• THESE INCLUDE: ORGANIZING NATIONAL CONVENTIONS, THROUGH THE USE OF
PRIMARIES ETC.
 PARTY SYSTEMS
• PARTY SYSTEMS REFERS TO THE COMPLEX INTERRELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN AND AMONG PARTIES
• DUVERGER (1954) PROVIDED THE MOST FAMILIAR TYPOLOGY OF
DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN DIFFERENT PARTY SYSTEM IS PROVIDED
(ONE-PARTY, TWO-PARTY AND MULITPARTY)
• OTHER TYPOLGIES INCLUDE PARY SIZE ( ELECTORAL OR LEGISLATIVE
STRENGTH), AND HOW PARTIES RELATE TO EACH OTHER (COOPERATION
AND CONSENSUS OR CONFLLICT AND POLARIZATION)
• FOLLOWING ARE THE MAJOR PARTY SYSTEMS FOUND IN MODERN
POLITCS:
 ONE-PARTY SYSTEMS
• A SINGLE PARTY ENJOYS A MONOPOLY OF POWER THROUGH EXCLUSION
OF OTHER PARTIES BY POLITICAL OF CONSTITUTIONAL MEANS
• THEY DEVELOP AN ENTRENCH RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STATE
MACHINERY FUSING PARTY AND STATE APPARATUS
• TWO TYPES HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED:
• COMMUNIST PARY REGIMES AND ANTI-COLONIAL NATIONALIST REGIMES
• ONE PARTY SYSTEMS ARE USUALLY BUILT AROUND THE DOMINANT ROLE
OF A CHARISMATIC LEADER
 TWO-PARTY SYSTEMS
• DUOPOLITIC IN NATURE IN THAT TWO MAJOR PARTIES HAVE
EQUAL PROSPECTS OF WINNING GOVERNMENT POWER
• CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY THE DOMINANT OF TWO PARTIES,
THE LARGER PARTY RULES ALONE, POWER ALTERNATES
BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES
• PRAISED FOR PROVIDING EFFECTIVE AND ACCOUNTABLE
GOVERNMENT
 DOMINANT-PARTY SYSTEMS
• NOT THE SAME AS ONE-PARTY SYSTEMS THOUGH SIMILAR
CHARACTERAISTICS DISCERNIBLE
• THIS SYSTEM IS COMPETITIVE IN THAT A NUMBER OF PARTIES
COMPETE FOR POWER IN REGULAR AND POPULAR ELCTIONS
• BUT SYSTEM IS DOMINATED BY A SINGLE PARTY THAT ENJOYS
PROLONGED PERIODS IN POWER (ANS, BDP, PPP)
• A KEY FETAURE IS TENDECY TOWARDS INTERNAL PARTY
FACTIONALISM, COMPLACENCY, ARROGANCE, CORRUPTION OF THE
DOMINANT PARTY AND WEAK AND INEFFECTIVE OPPOSITION
 MULTIPARTY SYSTEMS
• CHARACTERISED BY COMPETITION AMONGST MORE THAN TWO PARTIES
• REDUCES CHANCES OF SINGLE PARTY AND INCREASES LIKELIHOOD OF
COALITIONS
• PRAISED FOR CREATING INTERNAL CHECKS AND BALANCES WITHIN
GOVERNMENT
• EXHIBITS A BIAS IN FAVOUR OF DEBATE, CONCILIATION AND
COMPROMISE
• CRITICISMS RELATE TO THE PITFALLS AND DIFFICULTIES OF COALITION
FORMATION
 THE DECLINE OF PARTIES?
• IS PARTY POLITICS IN CRISIS?
• EVIDENCE IN DECLINE OF PARTY MEMBERSHIP AND PARTISANHIP
• THIS IS REFLECTED IN PARTISAN DEALIGNMENT
• EVIDENCE IN ANTIPOLITICS AND THE RISE OF ‘ANTIPARTY PARTIES’
• A FEW THEORIES HAVE BEEN ADVANCED TO EXPLAIN THE DECLINE OF
PARTIES
• THESE INCLUDE PERCEIVED OLIGARCHICAL CHARACTER, PARTIES LINKS
TO GOVERNMENT, PARTY DISILLUSIONMENT AND THE FADING AWAY OF
SOCIAL IDENTITIES AND TRADITIONAL LOYALTIES.