POLI107 Week 7 Lecture Notes - Parties and Party Systems

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes about political parties and party systems, covering definitions, party types, membership incentives, and organizational rules.

Political Party

An organisation aimed to coordinate and represent legislators and voters with similar interests/views.

Functions of Political Parties in Modern Democracies

Forming governments, recruiting candidates, representing and mobilizing like-minded groups of voters, and offering voters guidance on policy choices.

Party Family

Classification of parties based on ideology (e.g., conservative, social democratic).

Organizational Features

Classification of parties based on structure (e.g., cadre/elite parties, mass parties).

Party System

The characteristics of political parties and the interactions between them within a given level of government.

Fragmentation in Party Systems

Number of parties relative to their size.

Cadre Parties

Loose elite organisations; the first parties.

Mass Parties

Parties with mass membership that emerged in the 19th century.

Catch-All Party

Party focused more on winning elections, evolved from mass parties.

Selective Incentives for Party Membership

Process benefits (psychological rewards) and selective outcome benefits (material/career benefits).

Collective Incentives for Party Membership

Achieving desired policy goals.

Emotional Incentives for Party Membership

Social norms, altruism, strong partisan/ideological identity.

Negative Incentives for Party Membership

Time, money, effort, social costs.

Multi-Speed Membership Parties

Different types of affiliates with different rights and duties (e.g., members, activists, supporters).

Affiliation Rules

Act like a sieve, admitting only those likely to be politically active.

Selectorate

Those who elect the party leader.

Inclusive Parties

Broad selectorate (e.g., party members/affiliates) leading to focus on member preferences.

Exclusive Parties

Narrow selectorate (e.g., parliamentary party) leading to focus on voter preferences.