Comparative Politics - Week 6 (Political Parties)

Question 1

what did Edmund Burke describe a political party as

Answer 1

a political party is a body of men united for promoting by their joint endeavours, the national interest, upon some particular principles in which they are all agreed

Question 2

what is an example of the elite or caucus party

Answer 2

the whig party

Question 3

what period was the mass party in

Answer 3

1930s - 1960s

Question 4

what is the mass party linked to

Answer 4

social cleavages and one social group e.g. Labour, SPD, SAP, Agrarians in Scandanavia

Question 5

when did catch all parties emerge

Answer 5

1950s/1960s

Question 6

what are catch-all parties

Answer 6

where there was more centralised decision-making, a broadened electorate, where office seeking is a main goal

Question 7

what is an example of an anti-cartel party

Answer 7

Gilstrup’s Progress Party

Question 8

what do parties allow the electorate to do

Answer 8

be involved in democracy

Question 9

what do parties do for the elite

Answer 9

they enable ‘competition between elites’

Question 10

what do parties reduce

Answer 10

information costs for candidates and voters

Question 11

what do parties promote

Answer 11

policy coordination across a range of issues (in the wider public interest) and prevent politicians from pursuing private goals

Question 12

what do parties create by reducing the complexity of issues

Answer 12

political stability

Question 13

what is the responsible party government model of democracy

Answer 13

• parties prevent rival policy agendas (manifestos)
• citizens make a choice about policy by choosing between parties
• citizens judge parties on how well they have acted on their promises

Question 14

what is the problem with the issues parties promote

Answer 14

they only promote one part of a general will e.g. the private interests of parties’ supporters rather than the common public interest

Question 15

what can parties create due to competing policies

Answer 15

polarisation and political instability

Question 16

how do parties influence their politicians

Answer 16

they prevent them from representing their constituents’ interest or making up their own minds

Question 17

how do Whips negatively parties

Answer 17

carrots and sticks to get MPs to obey

Question 18

what did Dixon, 1996, say about party whips

Answer 18

whips engaged in ‘blackmail, verbal intimidation, sexual harassment and physical aggression’

Question 19

what is the cleavage model (Lipset and Rokkan, 1967)

Answer 19

• parties are formed and sustained by social cleavages
• parties are mass-based organisations
• parties appeal to and represent particular social groups
• parties primarily pursue policy and will not compromise policy promises to win/remain in office

Question 20

what is the strategic actor model (Downs, 1957)

Answer 20

• parties are formed by like-minded politicians
• parties are elite organisations (who would rather not have members)
• parties appeal to pivotal voters
• parties primarily pursue officer and will compromise policy promises to win/remain in office

Question 21

what is the moderate pluralist (multiparty) system

Answer 21

• competition among more than two parties hence the greater choice of governing alternatives
• coalition formation
• alternating coalitions between left and right
• centripetal competition - ‘centre clustering’

Question 22

what is the polarised pluralist (multiparty) system

Answer 22

• competition among many more than two parties
• coalition formation
• centre spanning parties/coalition
• centrifugal competition - extremist parties anti-system parties blackmail

Question 23

advantages of two-party systems

Answer 23

• effective (immediate production of governments after elections)
• accountable (clear accountability if only one party is in government)
• alternation - two main parties alternate in power. Voters influence directly the formation of government. A small shift can cause government change

Question 24

disadvantages of two-party systems

Answer 24

• non-representative - FPTP under-represents minorities and over-represents large mainstream parties of left right
• moderate policies - all main parties have a chance to govern and thus avoid extreme claims
• discontinuity - decisions are made by the majority with a clear strategy

Question 25

advantages of multiparty systems

Answer 25

• representative - PR fairly represents minorities in societies with ethnic-linguistics and religious minorities
• extreme policies - multiparty systems allow the representation of extreme parties
• continuity - decisions are made by consensus through consultation. More difficult to find a clear strategy but more continuity in legislation

Question 26

disadvantages of multiparty systems

Answer 26

• ineffective - negotiations between parties can take long. Coalitions might lead to unable governments.
• non-accountable - responsibility is obfuscated as multi parties are in government
• less often alternation - coalitions negotiations are ut of the reach of voters’ influence and shifts of votes are not necessarily followed by changes of government