Original Lecture 1

Question 2

Concept clarification

Answer 2

What do we want to explain?

Question 3

Analytical perspective

Answer 3

What are the causes or effects of a phenomenon?

Question 4

Descriptive perspective

Answer 4

How has a phenomenon developed over time or across countries/parties, etc.?

Question 5

Normative/evaluative perspective

Answer 5

Is a phenomenon good or bad according to some relevant standard?

Question 6

What are the main defining criteria of political parties?

Answer 6

• A political group
• That is officially a part of the electoral process
• And can put candidates forward for elections on a regular basis

Question 7

Evolution of the types of parties

Answer 7

• Elite/cadre (caucus) parties
• Mass parties
• Catch-all parties
• Cartel parties

Question 8

How can we explain party emergence?

Answer 8

Societal - cleavage theory
—-> traditional politics cleavages and the rise of new issues and cleavages

Institutional - parties form within institutions

Question 9

Examples of traditional political cleavages

Answer 9

church - state
rural - urban
etc.

Question 10

Ways that parties limit the freedom of politicians

Answer 10

• Party line
• Party policy program
• Party selection processes

Question 11

How are parties useful to politicians?

Answer 11

• They solve cooperation problems
• Help politicians to realise ambitions
• Create economies of scale in campaigning

Question 12

What is the definition of a cooperation problem?

Answer 12

A situation without parties where politicians would have a free vote on every issue

Question 13

What makes the cooperation problem a problem? (2)

Answer 13

• High transaction costs
• Commitment problem

Question 14

What are commitment problems in regards to a free vote?

Answer 14

• Only short term deals
• Compromises must be within one or a few votes
• Can’t trust that a person will keep to their promises because the next vote is also free

Question 15

What problems are due to high transaction costs cause in regards to a free vote?

Answer 15

• New alliance for every vote
• Costly to learn what everyone wants (politicians constantly change)
• Costly to figure out an overall good policy

Question 16

What two ways do political parties solve the cooperation problem?

Answer 16

• Parties reduce transaction costs
• Parties allow credible commitment to policy agenda

Question 17

How do parties reduce transaction costs in regards to the cooperation problem?

Answer 17

• Party labels identify like minded colleagues
• Division of labour (one person doesn’t have to do everything because a parties has people for the other stuff)

Question 18

What does parties allowing credible commitment mean in regards to the cooperation problem?

Answer 18

• Leaders can enforce discipline across votes meaning people vote the way they say they will
• Compromises can be made across many votes not just individual votes

Question 19

What consequences for politicians does having parties have on the cooperation problem?

Answer 19

• Easier bargaining and stable voting blocs
• Politicians get desired resources
• Little daily freedom for individual politicians

Question 20

How do politicians benefit economically from being in a political party?

Answer 20

Campaigns are expensive but parties have
- Reservoir of activists
- Country-wide campaign
- Comprehensive policy program
- Big donors are more likely to vote for successful parties than individual independent politicians

Question 21

What are the two main ways that parties are useful for citizens?

Answer 21

• They are information shortcuts for voters
• They provide a link between citizens’ preferences and policy

Question 22

How are parties’ information shortcuts useful for voters?

Answer 22

• It is annoying to put effort into finding out an independent local MP’s views than a national party
• Parties have ideological reputations
• Parties have recognisable brands that voters know

Question 23

How do parties provide links between citizens’ preferences and policy?

Answer 23

• Parties articulate and aggregate interests
• Simplify policy alternatives
• Provide people to run the government
• Implement policies reflecting voters’ preferences

Question 24

What five ways do parties provide linkage between citizens’ preferences and policy outcomes?

Answer 24

• Campaign: recruit candidates, define agenda
• Participatory: persuade politicians to vote
• Ideological: aggregate voters’ interests into party choices
• Representative: form government policies, represent citizens’ preferences
• Policy: implement policies for which parties have a mandate

Question 25

What negative qualities can parties in emerging or illiberal democracies have?

Answer 25

• Vehicle for strong leader
• Conduit for corruption
• Can threaten and bribe voters
• Marginalise competition
• Single party rule can exist in authoritarian states