POLITICAL PARTIES

Political Parties and the Democratic Process

Political Parties and the Democratic Process

Introduction

We understand political parties as organizations that regular1y compete for public office in that they put forth candidates for election. The formation of political parties is generally associated with the extension of suffrage and the development of representative government. Wattenberg (2000 ) suggest that political parties are endemic to “modern and modernizing political systems”: A political party will emerge once a “political system reaches a certain degree of complexity, or whenever the notion of political power comes to include the idea that the mass public must participate”. These definitions seem to place political parties as 20th-century phenomena, although Smith (1993) theorized that many of the political parties that existed at the end of the 20th century were based in part on ear1ier political conflicts dating back to at least the 19th century if not ear1ier. Specifically, these conflicts ranged from national revolutions to the political aftermath of the Industrial Revolution. From these events arose cleavages, or divisions, within societies that gave rise to political groupings. Bartlett (2009) suggests that there are hierarchies in cleavages within systems and over time, which helps to explain the differences in political groupings across countries. It is important to note that the cleavages themselves may also change, or even lose relevance.

Political parties tend to differ in their organization on the basis of three factors: competition, institutionalization, and resource factors. Competition refers to ideological differences, as well as the way in which the party was formed. Institutionalization refers to the power relations both between parties and within parties. Resources refer to how the party perpetuates itself. Each of these factors is affected by the specific time in which a party emerges. Different organizational structures are thus related to specific social and political developments in the modern democratic state. Organizational differences become apparent when one observes what Smith (1993) term the different faces or responsibilities of political parties. The three faces are the party on the ground, the party in central office, and the party in public office. The party on the ground refers to the political party as represented by the electorate, or the voters a party can reasonably rely on to vote for it. The party in central office refers to the membership aspect of a political party, or those who actively participate within the party with respect to policy formation, recruitment of members, and campaign planning. The party in public office refers to the members of a political party who serve as elected representatives.

Discussion

Pressure Groups and Political Parties

There are several similarities which exist between pressure groups and political parties. Pressure groups and political parties are mediums through which interests and views of the public are communicated to the government. Both political parties and pressure groups represent the public, facilitate political participation, and influence policy making. There is often confusion between political parties and pressure groups. It is because sometimes political parties resemble pressure groups because of their narrow ...