- Acknowledgements
- List of Boxes
- List of Tables
- About the Authors
- Guided Tour of the Textbook Features
- Guided Tour of the Online Resource Centre
- World map
- Introduction: The Nature of Politics and Political Analysis
- 1. Politics and the State
- 2. Political Power, Authority, and the State
- 3. Democracy and Political Obligation
- 4. Freedom and Justice
- 5. Traditional Ideologies
- 6. Challenges to the Dominant Ideologies
- 7. Institutions and States
- 8. Law, Constitutions, and Federalism
- 9. Votes, Elections, Legislatures, and Legislators
- 10. Political Parties
- 11. Executives, Bureaucracies, Policy Studies, and Governance
- 12. Civil Society, Interest Groups, and the Media
- 13. Democracies, Democratization, and Authoritarian Regimes
- 14. Introducing Global Politics
- 15. Traditional Theories in Global Politics
- 16. Critical Approaches to Global Politics
- 17. Security and Insecurity
- 18. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
- 19. International Organizations in Global Politics
- 20. Global Political Economy
- Conclusion: Towards a Globalizing, Post-Western-Dominated World
- Glossary
- References
- Index
(p. 228) 10. Political Parties
- Chapter:
- (p. 228) 10. Political Parties
- Author(s):
Peter Ferdinand
- DOI:
- 10.1093/hepl/9780198704386.003.0011
This chapter deals with political parties: why they emerged, how they can be classified, what functions they perform, how they interact, and what challenges they are facing today. One of the paradoxes about democracies is that there is almost a unanimous consensus about the indispensability of political parties. On the other hand, the benefits of being a member of a political party are bound to be minuscule compared to the costs of membership. Thus it is irrational for people to join parties. They should only form (small) interest groups. The chapter first provides a historical background on the development of political parties before discussing their functions, such as legitimation of the political system, structuring the popular vote, and formulation of public policy. It then considers different types of political parties as well as the characteristics of party systems and concludes with an analysis of the problems facing political parties today.
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- Acknowledgements
- List of Boxes
- List of Tables
- About the Authors
- Guided Tour of the Textbook Features
- Guided Tour of the Online Resource Centre
- World map
- Introduction: The Nature of Politics and Political Analysis
- 1. Politics and the State
- 2. Political Power, Authority, and the State
- 3. Democracy and Political Obligation
- 4. Freedom and Justice
- 5. Traditional Ideologies
- 6. Challenges to the Dominant Ideologies
- 7. Institutions and States
- 8. Law, Constitutions, and Federalism
- 9. Votes, Elections, Legislatures, and Legislators
- 10. Political Parties
- 11. Executives, Bureaucracies, Policy Studies, and Governance
- 12. Civil Society, Interest Groups, and the Media
- 13. Democracies, Democratization, and Authoritarian Regimes
- 14. Introducing Global Politics
- 15. Traditional Theories in Global Politics
- 16. Critical Approaches to Global Politics
- 17. Security and Insecurity
- 18. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
- 19. International Organizations in Global Politics
- 20. Global Political Economy
- Conclusion: Towards a Globalizing, Post-Western-Dominated World
- Glossary
- References
- Index
