Week 9 - Political Parties

Question 1

define political parties

Answer 1

Political parties: organizations that seek to promote their shared goals and policies by nominating and electing candidates for public office

Key part of definition is in how they seek to influence government – makes them distinct from interest groups

Question 2

What are the 6 critical roles of political parties

Answer 2

1. Integrate citizens into the political system
   2.Generate policy
   3.Organize government
2. Structure the vote
   5.Organize public opinion
   6.Aggregate societal interests

Question 3

Define party organization

Answer 3

Party organization: central committees tasked with getting candidates elected – or electioneering

Question 4

What are the central functions of the party organization committees (5)

Answer 4

• Recruiting candidates
• Administering primary elections and running nominating conventions
• Fundraising
• Constructing policy platform
• Campaign assistance (i.e. strategy, polling, GOTV)

Question 5

What are the 4 major parties in Canada

Answer 5

• Conservative, liberal, green, NDP

Question 6

Define the party in office and its central functions (4)

Answer 6

Party-in-Office: all candidates at all levels of government who are elected to public office

Central functions:
•Set policy agenda
•Fill leadership positions and oversee the policy making process
•Executive policy agenda of the party
•Organize the day to day functions of the legislature

Question 7

Define Party-in-the-electorate and its central functions (3)

Answer 7

Party-in-the-Electorate: all citizens who identify with, or have some attachment to the political party.

Central functions:
•Vote in leadership elections
•Volunteer for campaigns
•Donate to the party

Question 8

What is the brokerage party model? And what does it stand in contrast to?

Answer 8

For most of Canada’s history scholars have argued that our major political parties follow a brokerage model

•Parties strive to become the dominant party by incorporating and deemphasizing all important societal divisions (e.g., class, ethnicity)

•Stands in contrast to mass parties (e.g. labour parties) or niche parties (e.g. Green parties) common in other national contexts

Question 9

Why no mass parties? List 3 possible reasons

Answer 9

No firm answer for why Canadian parties developed so differently from other countries

•Some possible reasons:
➢The importance of the “national question”
➢Regional tensions, especially Western alienation
➢Weakness of organized labour

Question 10

List 7 characteristics of brokerage model parties

Answer 10

1. Under-institutionalized
2. Loose connection to social cleavages in society
3. Goal = national accommodation rather than the representation of interests
4. Electoral pragmatism
5. Leader dominant
6. Unquestioned party allegiance seen as a virtue
7. Antipathy to coalition politics

Question 11

What is the franchise model? (Key distinctive feature, how its defined)

Answer 11

•Most distinctive feature is the lack of development of central party bureaucracy
•Principally defined by a struggle between the party in office and the party on the ground
•Norm of mutual coexistence: party in office sets the policy and communications, while the party on the ground manages local affairs
•A franchise style model

Question 12

Central vs. Local party - what are the tensions between them?

Answer 12

•There has always been tension between the central and local parties

•Particularly due to national encroachment on local party decision making

•Flash points: local nominations, policy development

•Iron Law of Oligarchy: posits that party elites will come to dominate party decision making

Question 13

3 points that define the first system (1867 - 1921)

Answer 13

•characterized by two loose coalitions (cadre parties) bound together by PATRONAGE

•Conservatives were centralists and had support of RELIGIOUS and industrial interests

•Liberals were decentralists, anti-clerical and pro-trade (but distinctions were loose)

Question 14

4 points that characterize the decline of the patronage system (1867-1917)

Answer 14

•CIVIL SERVICE REFORM limited the ability of the parties to give out patronage

•Conservatives and Liberals became more cohesive and sharply distinguished by religion (Protestant v Catholic) and language (English v French)

•Conservative party alienated French Canadians

•Splinter parties, like the Progressives, shattered the two party system; now 2+1 system

Question 15

3 points that define the second party system (1921 - 1957)

Answer 15

•The PROFESSIONALIZATION OF THE CIVIL SERVICE led to the rise of the Ottawa Mandarins

•Increasingly REGIONAL POLITICAL CONFLICT led to the rise of powerful ministers who had control over the extra-parliamentary party

•Minimal policy differences between Liberals and PC, who adopted post-war Keynesian consensus

Question 16

4 points that defined the third party system (1957-1993)

Answer 16

•Liberal Party governed with an increasingly centralist vision at odds with Quebec nationalism and Western alienation

•Rising importance of party leaders and extra-parliamentary parties, decline of cabinet

•Liberals and PC remain brokerage parties

•Liberals sees decline towards the end of this period due to waning support in QC

Question 17

4 points to define the fourth party system (1993-2004)

Answer 17

•Failure of Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords broke the Canadian party system

•Rise of the Reform Party, which responded to Western alienation, and the Bloc Québécois

•PC party shattered (down to 2 seats, 16%)

•Split right-wing allowed Liberals to win majorities by sweeping Ontario in 1993, 1997 and 2000

Question 18

3 points to define the fifth party system ( 2004-present)

Answer 18

•Conservative Party formed in 2004 after Peter McKay won leadership of the PCs and Harper won leadership of the Alliance

•Return to 2+1 party competition with a competitive Conservative Party

•Blip in 2011 with temporary rise of the NDP and decline of the Bloc (short lived)

Question 19

What is wither brokerage?

Answer 19

•Some indications that the major political parties in Canada have polarized
•Conservatives have moved right, while the Liberals have moved left
•Major parties no longer focused on national unity and accommodation
•Is Canada’s unique brokerage model fading away?

Question 20

What are the 4 aspects of party organization?

Answer 20

1. Leadership elections
2. Candidate nominations
3. Party membership
4. Policy development

Question 21

What are the three principal models of electing leaders?

Answer 21

1) Party caucus
2) Convention
3) One-member-one-vote (OMOV)

Question 22

What are the benefits and costs of the caucus model
- define caucus model
- which parties used this model and when

Answer 22

•Elected MPs choose their party leader
•Elected MPs have the ability to turf their leaders – this is still the case in Australia and U.K.
•Conservative Party used this model until 1927, and the Liberals until 1919
•Benefits: empowers elected MPs relative to party leaders
•Costs: not transparent, disempowers party activists and members

Question 23

What is an example of a liberal leader being a exception to the caucus model

Answer 23

Election of ignatieff

Question 24

What are the costs and benefits of the convention model?
- define convention model
- which parties used this model and when

Answer 24

•Riding associations hold delegate selection meetings, and these elected delegates vote on a leader at a designated convention
•Conservative Party (and PCs) used this model between 1927 and 2004; Liberals until 2013; and NDP until 2003.
•Benefits: empowers motivated party activists, and ensures selection is broadly acceptable
•Costs: weakens link between leaders and their MPs; delegate selection process is very inside baseball

Question 25

What are the costs and benefits of the OMOV model
- define OMOV model

Answer 25

•All paid party members can vote for a party leader, usually via ranked ballot
•Points procedure limits influence of areas with large party memberships
•Benefits: most democratic, allows parties to build up lists of supporters and donors
•Costs: breaks link between MPs and their leader (centralization); weakens party activists as well

Question 26

4 impacts of leadership rules

Answer 26

•Scholars have argued that OMOV elections strengthen party leaders at the expense of MPs
•Leaders owe their position, not to MPs, but to anonymous party members
•Supporters argue that anything other than OMOV is inherently anti-democratic
•Large leadership campaigns may provide a better test for the general election

Question 27

How do local nominations work?

Answer 27

•Typically carried out with OMOV, but the implementation of democratic nominations is very inconsistent
•Party leaders will often shield elected MPs from the need for re-nomination races
•They may also parachute in and nominate star candidates into certain ridings

Question 28

In local nominations, what does the central party do?

Answer 28

Central party often takes a subtler approach to manipulate nomination process
➢Set conditions for opening nominations
➢Set closing date for nominations
➢Candidate vetting

Question 29

In local nominations, what does the local party do?

Answer 29

Local party associations aren’t entirely powerless
➢Set voting location
➢Set nomination date
➢The media
The tug-of-war over local nominations is a very frequent source of controversy

Question 30

How does party membership work in OMOV elections

Answer 30

•Require very little for eligibility in OMOV elections
•Open to all party members, 13-14 years and older
•Membership fee: $10-25
•Nomination contests treated as mobilization exercises
•Membership valid if meets some cut-off deadline, ranging from 2-30 days

Question 31

What are some risks and consequences of party membership?

Answer 31

•Loose eligibility rules relatively free from manipulation from the central or local parties
•One major consequence: flood of temporary new members in advance of nomination periods (~45% join specifically to help a candidate)
•Dilutes voice of party activists
•Risk of takeover of nominations by outsider candidates

Question 32

What is the law of curvilinear disparity

Answer 32

•Ordinary members and voters are mostly non-ideological and apathetic
•Party officials dilute ideological appeals to win re-election
•As a result, ideological core is found among party activists: party members who are active in local constituency associations and are found among convention delegates
•OMOV helps reinforce brokerage politics by weakening activists

Question 33

What is the importance of policy development?

Answer 33

•Policy development another flashpoint of contestation between central and local parties
•Recall that part of the franchise model is that the parliamentary party/central party manages the brand and policy
•Increasingly unacceptable to party members, activists, and the general public

Question 34

Historically the party-in-office has dominated policy development, which parties dominated and when

Answer 34

development
•Liberals had first orchestrated policy discussion in 1919, but it did not affect the party platform
•Conservatives made no meaningful effort to engage members in policy until the 1980s

Question 35

Member policy outreach - what can members really do?

Answer 35

•Local associations debate and pass up policy resolutions to regional and then finally a national policy convention

•Resolutions are debates and then voted on by the membership

•Only two major efforts by government parties: Trudeau Liberals in 1970 and Mulroney PCs in 1989

•Ultimately, policy resolutions were ignored

Question 36

Do members have more to say in opposition parties? (Membership policy outreach)

Answer 36

•Members have more say in opposition parties
•Liberal’s 1960 Kingston Conference and policy convention – influential during Pearson years
•Ontario PC Leader Mike Harris’s Common Sense Revolution platform the result of policy consultation
•Populist leaning parties, like NDP, Reform/Alliance long histories of member policy development

Question 37

4 weaknesses in policy development

Answer 37

•Usually ad hoc in structure and inconsistent in application
•Policy passed by members often ignored by party without justification
•Sadly under-resourced: limited staff availability to develop thoughtful policy proposals
•Exclusively reliant on member opinions, without input from economists and policy experts

Question 38

True of false: a political party is any organization that seeks to win power in a democracy

Answer 38

false

Question 39

Which component of a political party is in charge of setting the policy agenda?
1. Party organization
2. Party in the electorate
3. Party in office

Answer 39

3. Party in office

Question 40

What is the party system model characterized by two large parties that incorporate and de-emphasize important societal divisions like ethnicity and class?

Answer 40

Brokerage model

Question 41

Which of the following was NOT a reason for the decline of the patronage party system?

1. Divisive English-French issues pushed Francophones towards the Liberals
2. Civil Service reform limited the ability of the parties from doling out patronage
3. The implementation of the secret ballot limited incumbency advantage
4. Patronage fell increasingly into public disfavour

Answer 41

4. Patronage fell increasingly into public disfavour

Question 42

True of false: The old Progressive Conservative Party of John A. Macdonald pursued free-market, fiscal conservative policies

Answer 42

False

Question 43

Which party system featured highly regionalized election results?
1. First
2. Third
3. Fourth
4. Fifth

Answer 43

Fourth

Question 44

Which model of leadership elections involve voting by elected delegates from riding associations?

Answer 44

Convention model

Question 45

Which model of leadership elections involve voting by elected delegates from riding associations?

1. Weakens party leaders and empowers elected MPs
2. Transparency
3. More democratic
4. Empowers party activists at the expense of party leaders

Answer 45

1. Weakens party leaders and empowers elected MPs

Question 46

Which theory hold that political parties will become increasingly dominated by a small circle of elites over time?

1. Iron law of oligarchy
2. Franchise model
3. Brokerage model
4. Law of curvilinear disparity

Answer 46

1. Iron Law of Oligarchy