chapter 7

Question 1

Political party

Answer 1

is a group of like-minded people who organize in order to influence politics through winning political office.

3 types:
1. Domestic political parties: play a role in the EU because they compete for seats in the EP during the EP elections.
2. Political groups: are coalitions between elected MEPs from different member states in the EP. They play important roles in the daily operation of the EP and structure the voting behaviour of MEPs.
3. European political parties: are associations between domestic political parties and operate outside of
the EP.

Question 2

Cohesion

Answer 2

is the extent to which MEPs of the same political group vote together. If all MEPs from a political group exactly the same, cohesion is high

Question 3

political cleavage

Answer 3

Cleavages are based on social differences between groups of citizens that lead to
different perspectives on the kind of policies that the government should pursue.

example
- Leftists think that the government should intervene in the economy in order to create greater equality
- Rightists believe that the economy works best if the government does not interfere with it too much