POSC 1000 Unit 8

Political Party

• Groups of volunteers and paid professionals work together to accomplish shared political goals

• Nominates candidates for election to public office

• Main purpose is to win votes to elect as many candidates into the legislature

Roles of Political Parties

• Selecting party leaders, nominating candidates, conducting election campaigns

• Help people understand issues and ideas that are being discussed

• Method parties use for winning votes and legislative seats is different for each party

Mass parties

focused on vote-getting at the expense of an ideological platform

Ideological parties

focused on rallying behind a point of view at the expense of votes and seats

Why Do Parties Matter?

• Parties provide shorthand for candidates’ views

• They’re important in democratic societies

Party Organization

3 main parts:

• party in public office

  • leader and elected officials in legislature (the caucus)

• party in central office

  • paid permanent staff in party HQ, manage party finances, make brochures, manage website, etc

• party on the ground

  • party members who meet and work in local and regional associations

How do Electoral Systems Affect Parties?

Proportional systems

• Use large multi-member districts, giving more centralized power to national parties

• More parties win seats → coalition governments and power-sharing

Single-member systems

• Power is more decentralized, with local or regional associations having influence

• Local riding associations nominate candidates

horizontal division of powers

Electoral systems impact how parties work, and the relationship between the legislature and the executive

parties and parliamentary systems

• fused system

• party in office has more power

• PM needs the support of the legislature and the elected party to vote in favour of government policies to continue governing

  • leads to more official party unity

parties and presidential systems

• non-fused system

• looser, less coherent party organization

• as the president’s power doesn’t depend on legislative control, candidates are freer to do what they want

• there can be a lot more internal disagreement within the party, and much less party discipline

Federalism

• In a federal system, like in Canada, there are distinct national and subnational party organizations, since they’re competing in separate elections

• The Conservative Party of Canada ISN’T THE SAME as the Conservative Party in NL

unitary states

• countries with only 1 level of government

• 1 national party organization

• the NDP party in Canada is the closest to this a it has one membership list and campaigns at both national and provincial levels

Some parties only exist at one level of government

• Bloc Québécois runs only in federal elections

• Saskatchewan Party (Sask Party) runs only in provincial elections

Parties and Allocation of Funds

• Governments allocate part of the public purse to supporting political parties, to ensure that they have the funds to mount campaigns

• How the funds are allocated makes a difference to how parties organize

• More centralized power and dominance if money goes to the national organization

• If the money goes to local candidates, things are more decentralized

Political Institutions Affect How Politics Work

• Political parties are essential parts of a healthy democratic system

  • They help people respond to the political issues of the day

• For a system to be truly democratic, there has to be diversity in political parties and legislatures

Origins of Political Parties

• Early parties (cadre/elite parties) formed inside parliaments, based on individual politicians

  • Focused on personal campaigns and gaining a voice in political institutions

• Later, mass parties formed outside parliament to gain access to political power

  • Based on class and social justice

Catch-All Parties

• Shift from class-based to broad appeal (vote-maximizing strategy)

• Christian Democratic parties moved away from religious roots to gain wider support

• Parties reduced ideological focus and relied more on political professionals than members

Importance of Candidate Selection

• Most parties control nominations, limiting voters' choices before elections

• Candidate selection reflects party values and power structures

• Control over nominations = control over party direction

Internal Party Democracy

• How decisions are made inside political parties and who gets a voice — the leadership or the regular party members

• Not all members have equal access or opportunity to participate

Structural Biases

• party recruitment is shaped by formal and informal rules

• party gatekeepers use “information shortcuts” to evaluate candidates

Discrimination in Selection

• Direct: judging based on group identity (e.g., asking sexist questions)

• Indirect: Avoiding candidates based on assumed voter biases (e.g., “They won’t elect a Black candidate here”)

The “Scissors” Problem

• Candidates from marginalized groups often lack "traditional" qualifications

• Their perceived lack of qualifications may discourage them from running

Homosocial Capital

• describes male-to-male networks that dominate political spaces

• women are largely excluded from them

• results in structural disadvantage for women in political recruitment and elections

Party Membership

involves paying membership fees and agreeing not to join other parties

Individual Membership

Direct sign-up with the party

Collective (Affiliated) Membership

membership through a group like a union

Light Membership

Newer, low-fee party membership with limited benefits

Multispeed Membership

• parties offer multiple ways for supporters to engage (e.g., full member vs. supporter)

• encourages different levels of involvement (time, money, effort)

Why Parties Want Members

• Campaign support (volunteers and outreach)

• Electoral legitimacy

• Fundraising

• Nominating candidates

• Link to grassroots for policy input

Why People Join Parties

• Collective incentives (e.g., influence decision-making, social identity)

• Selective incentives (e.g., social status, material benefits)

Who Joins Parties?

• Common members are old, white men who are well educated

• Members are a small part of the voting-age population

Duverger’s Categories of Member’s Activities

• Voters - vote only

• Supporters – Low-intensity activities (posters, social media)

• Members – Medium/high-intensity activities (canvassing, meetings)

• Militants – Highly active (organizing, campaigning, direct action)

Consequences of Unrepresentative Membership

• Reinforces view that parties are elitist or “out of touch”

• Fuels populist support—framing politics as “the people” vs. “the elite”

• Weakens legitimacy of party decisions and policies

• Discourages further participation by underrepresented groups

3 Key Questions to Classify Party Systems

1. Which parties exist?

2. How many parties exist and how big are they?

3. How do parties behave?

Which parties exist?

Some party types are widespread (e.g., social democratic), others are more context-specific (e.g., religious parties)

How Many Parties Exist and How Big Are They?

• Dominant-Party Systems

  • 1 party wins absolute majorities over a long period

• 2 Party Systems

  • 2 large parties dominate and alternate in power

  • Smaller parties exist but aren’t coalition-relevant

• Multiparty Systems

  • No single party gets a majority → coalition governments

  • More representative, but may include extremist parties

Duverger’s Laws

• Single-member plurality systems → favour 2-party systems

• Proportional representation → favours multiparty systems

Why?

• Mechanical effect: Plurality systems don't reward small parties proportionally

• Psychological effect: Voters avoid “wasting” votes on smaller parties

2 Party Systems Behaviour

• Parties tend to converge toward the centre to win a majority

• Less incentive to go to extremes

Multiparty Systems Behaviour

• More complex dynamics between parties

• Voters have more choices

• Coalition-building between parties is key

Moderate Multiparty Systems (Sartori)

• Limited number of parties

• Parties still converge toward the centre

• 1 or 2 small center parties often act as coalition partners

Polarized Multi-Party Systems (Sartori)

• Many parties, ideological fragmentation

• Parties flee the center, move toward extremes

Party future

• Despite their role in government, parties are facing fragmentation, division, and questions about their effectiveness and legitimacy

• Party systems are often weakly institutionalized

  • Weak enforcement of representation policies

• Critical: parties are failing at their core functions; representation and legitimacy are at risk

• Optimistic: parties are adapting to new social and political realities