8. Do political parties and interest groups enhance democratic regimes? Flashcards
Role of political parties
Aggregate people’s opinions and communicate
Political parties tend to be replaced by…
Networks (term used but the US gvt)
Parties are present in liberal democracies but also
In illiberal democracies and autocracies
Definition of a political party
“Organisation of politically like-minded people who seek political power and public office to realize their policy objectives”.
Origins of parties and their power ?
16-19th : gradually evolved as parliaments were rising in power compared to the sovereign.
When did mass parties include citizens ?
19th
Michel’s ‘Iron law of oligarchy”
Most of politics are controlled by a small number of elite
What are the “catch all parties” ?
Emerged in the 50s through 90s, parties that go where the voters are.
Institutional role of parties ?
Providing a link between the executive and parliament + link on different scales
Parties also raise money for..
The elections
Polarization ?
The distance between the two ends of a political spectrum
Institutionalization ?
The extend to which party organisation are structured and stable.
The British system is…
Fragmenting
5 party families ?
- Socialist
- Christian democrats/socialists (more in Germany)
- The agrarian : interest of farmers, outside org but sometimes parties (Poland)
- Liberal : right center, radical, progressive liberal MODEM
- Conservative : UMP
Newest actors in the political spectrum ?
Populist parties
Term “populism” exists since
Roman age
Recent wave of populism ?
90-2000
Examples of populists
Donald Trump, Jacobins, Jacksonian democrats (US), Tea party in the 90s in reaction of the Obama Care (economic situation)
Populists against the ?
Establishment
4 categories of right-wing populists :
- National chauvinists : patriotism, political elites should be prouder (freedom party in Austria)
- Populist traditionalists : the finn’s party Finland, catholic views
- Anti statist populists : target the gov, State = threat (Tea party, anti-euro UKIP)
- Defenders of “liberal values”
Definition of populism
The attempt by ambitious politicians to mobilize the masses in opposition to an establishment that they depict as corrupt or self-serving.
Definition of interest associations
Voluntary organizations with a public purpose, that appeal to the government but not participate directly to elections. They have some public purpose, common rules that govern people, collective.
Olsen’s theory about interest associations ?
Different groups have different abilities to organize and defend their interests – geographic concentration and focus are advantages
Examples of strong interest associations at the national level in the United States
Political power of the NRA: listen to NPR. AIPAC: pro-Israeli lobby.
Good points of interest associations ?
- Freedom of assembly, all groups have the right to be heard (Tocqueville)
- Delivery of public services, NGOs
- Recrute people (Obama), social integration
In autocratic systems interest groups function…
Top down
Bad points of interest associations ?
- Certain situations : interest groups can be bad for democracy (self-interested)
- Can be exclusive, keep certain voices from rising
- Gov for the interest groups and not the people
