Notes Test 2 - 9/26 Political Parties Political Parties Formal organizations recognized in law that seek legislative and/or executive power and willing

9/26: Political Parties: Political Parties – Formal organizations, recognized in law, that seek legislative and/or executive power, and willing to abide by the constraints of election laws and parliamentary rules The Significance of parties • Elections in the US are more candidate-centered • Party identification in the US is historically weaker • Members of Congress are more independent - ex. Voting within the legislature • Parties are only strong around the Presidential election • Comparatively: - Stronger parties (the US has weaker political parties because of this) The Role of Parties • Recruit and socialize political elite • Provide a link between citizens and rulers • Aggregate interests • Mostly Important: Parties structure the world of politics - Political competition revolves around parties - Government is government by party The (typical, basic) Structure of Parties: Party Organization 1: Membership • Each political party maintains its own membership Centr al Parliamentar y Party District Executive Party Members

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• You typically pay a membership • You typically attend local branch meetings • Some countries call these parties “clubs” What members do: • They socialize together! • Have input into a party policy - e.g. attend annual convention • Campaign • Q: Do parties need members? - A: Candidate Selection • A critical function of Political Parties in many countries • Serve as ‘gatekeepers’ for high political office Candidate Selection by Party • The United Kingdom: Conservative Party - List of centrally approved aspirant candidates (Screening process for new candidates/incumbents - Each constituency organizations then draws up a short list - Ordinary members in that constituency then makes the choice The Consequences of a Party-centered Candidate Selection • Incumbent politicians must also respond to party elite - US: electorate (frequently) is also the selectorate (the person who selects who is running for a party) - Europe: May be very different - Different preferences over policy Selecting the Party Leader: • A key task: Why? - because the leaders of a party with the majority of seats is the Prime Minister, in parliamentary governments (i.e. Europe) • Q: Who selects the party leader? Possibilities include: - Executive committee - Members of the “parliamentary party ” – the members of parliament belonging to that party - Member-wide ballot • Significant variation from party to party Looking at Parties and Party Systems: • Key Question: What is the shape of the party system? • The number of parties

- How many parties? - How many ‘significant’ parties (ENP)? • The ideology of each party - Classical Left-Right ideological spectrum - Individual policy preferences 10/1: Electoral Systems : the mechanisms that turn the votes cast by citizens into a legislature • Electoral system has profound effect on how votes are turned into seats • Chosen consciously to have particular effects • Main choice between proportional representation (PR) and non-PR systems