Lecture 9 Political Parties Flashcards
What is the distinction between hard-liner and moderate political parties in democratic transitions?
Hard-liner and moderate political parties on both the ruling and opposing sides determine whether democratic transitions are pacted or violent.
What is the impact of authoritarian successor parties on democratic consolidation?
Authoritarian successor parties are generally bad for democratic consolidation as they aim to erode democracy and return to autocratic rule.
What are the four functions of political parties?
Connecting citizens to government
Providing accountability of the government to the public
Creating representation
Helping conflict management and integration of outsiders into the system
Why do we elect parties instead of individuals?
Parties structure choices, making voting easier, aggregate multiple policy choices into coherent ideological packages, and increase negotiating power in parliament and government.
How do political parties affect democratisation via linkages to society?
Through ideological, clientelist, personalist, and ethnic/nationalist linkages, each affecting policy representation and power dynamics differently.
What is ideological linkage?
Vote for us if you want specific policies implemented. It leads to the best functioning of democracy but can politicize democracy.
What is clientelist linkage?
Vote for us to gain access to resources, leading to unequal policy representation and incumbents staying in power.
What is personalist linkage?
Vote for us/me if you think I represent you best or if you like me, leading to no coherent policy representation and possible authoritarian creep.
What is ethnic/nationalist linkage?
Vote for us if you identify with this ethnic group, leading to unequal policy representation and zero-sum competition for power.
How do the organization and history of political parties affect democratisation?
Factors such as local offices, volunteers, members, connections to civil society, and whether a party is an authoritarian successor party influence democratisation in various ways.
What is the illiberalism index and its indicators?
An index consisting of four indicators: low commitment to political pluralism, demonisation of political opponents, disrespect for fundamental minority rights, and encouragement of political violence.
What has been observed about the illiberalism index in recent decades?
The median governing party has become more illiberal, as seen in parties like PiS in Poland or the Republicans in the United States.
What is Sartori’s typology of party systems based on?
Fragmentation (number of parties) and polarisation (ideological distance between parties).
What is centripetal competition?
Party competition toward the middle of the spectrum (→←), typically in low fragmentation and polarisation systems.
What is centrifugal competition?
Party competition toward the ends of the spectrum (←→), typically in high fragmentation and polarisation systems, which can lead to extreme parties gaining power.
