political behaviour

Question 1

what are supply factors?

Answer 1

focus on preferences/institutions (e.g political parties, electoral systems, policies, media)

Question 2

what are demand factors?

Answer 2

focus on people/behaviour (e.g voting, choice, values, identities)

Question 3

what are political parties?

Answer 3

parties are the key mobilising device, parties are collection of interests and ideologies that hope to influence

Question 4

what are the function of parties as an electoral actor?

Answer 4

contesting elections at multiple democratic levels, they provide candidates for election develop programme manifesto

Question 5

what are the function of parties as coordinators of political action?

Answer 5

within government, the formation of government, formation of groups within parliament, actors in the legislature and holding roles at different levels of govt,
in society, organise political activity, focus for campaigning, provide links between public office and civil society

Question 6

what is the function of parties as providers of representation?

Answer 6

recruit candidates for public office, speak for members and supporters of political sphere, represent clusters of political interest and promote those interests

Question 7

what is descriptive representation?

Answer 7

representative drawn from the group that they are representing

Question 8

what is substantive representation?

Answer 8

representative acting on behalf of a group

Question 9

what is a cadre party?

Answer 9

started around mid 19th c. was made up of political elites within parliament and had very minimal structure based on elite networks. membership was elites and funded by personal wealth.
example of this style is whigs and Tory parties

Question 10

what is a Mass party?

Answer 10

started around mid 19th c. was made up of extra parliamentary organisations aiming for representation of social groups.
membership was large unified membership and resources stemmed from fees from members
examples: Labour Party early 20th c.

Question 11

what is a Catch all party?

Answer 11

started around 1950/60, was made up of more professional organisation, members organised into branches and decisions made by elites and advisors.
membership is large and diverse but largely powerless, resources come from contributions and interest groups
examples: Labour Party from 1990s and conservatives 1950s-1998

Question 12

what is a cartel party?

Answer 12

started around 1980s- present day. organisation evolved form Catch all and further marginalised the role of members and increasing the role of unelected party operatives, members replaced by professionals and decisions ratified by members to appear democratic
examples: most European parties have aspects of this

Question 13

what is a business firm party?

Answer 13

started around 1990s, organisation from extra parliamentary initiative of political entrepreneurs, the structure is minimal form of organisation with hierarchal structure. party run as a business, membership is minimal to non existence, resources come from corporate resources
examples: Brexit party, Forza Italia

Question 14

how can political parties be said to be in decline?

Answer 14

1. parties increasingly centralised and rely less on members,
2. parties reach out to more people on social media rather than door to door
3. voters begin to feel weaker attachment to parties, voters feel less identification
4. rise in challenger parties, decline in core vote
5. membership of parties in long term decline

Question 15

what are party systems?

Answer 15

a set of political parties within a demographic that compete and cooperate with the aim of increasing their power and controlling the government

Question 16

what is formal participation?

Answer 16

participation In formal and electoral processes (voting, membership, pressure groups, standing as candidate)

Question 17

what is informal participation?

Answer 17

participation that exists outside of formal state and electoral political institutions (protest, single issue campaign, direct action, social media)

Question 18

what is the ‘party is over thesis’?

Answer 18

parties no longer mass membership organisation, party membership been in long term decline, parties no longer have monopoly on political activity, other actors exist, but parties remain main way in which politics understood

Question 19

how has turnout decline effected participation?

Answer 19

election levels declined over time in most democratic countries, as turnout declined inequalities in turnout have increased, voters more likely to be older and wealthier

Question 20

how has party membership decline effected participation?

Answer 20

parties have ceased to be embedded within social groups they represent and have become narrow communities of those politically interested. the electorate has become more diverse but parties haven’t

Question 21

how has the rise of informal participation affected participation?

Answer 21

the rise of single issue campaign groups, social media makes organisation of informal participation much cheaper and easier, and easier access to engagement

Question 22

what are some explanations for the rise in informal participation?

Answer 22

rise in post materialism and emergence of anti-politics.
dealignment/re-alignment, new political organisations, globalisation of politics

Question 23

what is critical citizens theory?

Answer 23

theory of political change based on both social and attitudinal change in liberal democracies, increased levels of education plus cheaper and extensive access to information makes govt easier to judge on performance

Question 24

what is social capital theory?

Answer 24

since 1950s western societies have become more atomised and individualised, people doing more activities alone rather than in organisations, less party oriented politics

Question 25

what is post materialism?

Answer 25

societies have experienced a shift from values of collective to individual, post 1945 western societies experienced increase in material wealth and security, people brought up in post scarcity era

Question 26

why has there been rise in anti-politics?

Answer 26

trust in politics and politicians has suffered long term decline, parties have narrowed the scope of political debate and takes some issues beyond politics, decline in support for traditional institutions

Question 27

how has globalisation of politics affected participation?

Answer 27

politics now takes place beyond national scale, formal institutions and participation remains rooted at national level.
politicians often claim they cannot influence because of globalisation