Political Parties: The Carte Party

1110 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on how political parties are formed

Political parties have been in a declining state in recent political evolution and has provoked numerous discussions/arguments whether the political parties have been indeed in such a state or whether they have been simply restructuring their organisational and/or ideological principles to withstand certain challenges. Several theories were introduced/developed in the recent years so as to distinguish the “ideal” behavioural type of political party development. The most renowned “ideal” party types are the cadre party type, the mass party type (Duverger, 1954) and the catch-all party type (Kirchheimer, 1966). Nevertheless, a recent theory regarding party types proposed initially by Richard Katz and Peter Mair (1995) was the “Cartel Party” which also drew a lot of academic interest. The “Cartel Party” is a new model of political party development suggested by Richard Katz & Peter Mair (1995) as the last decades the electoral support and partisanship levels have been decreasing substantially, while voter volatility increased; thus political parties began to seek state subsidies and other much needed resources directly through the state, in order to secure “control” of the electoral rules, subsidies from the state and the media as well. Concomitantly, political parties allegedly employ their domination power to even “control” which new political parties may join the “cartel”, and which are left out of the equation. However, this new prospect within the political parties’ mechanism, ultimately alters their organisational and ideological principles, thus in this way give rise to the so-called “Cartel Parties”. In short, the theory of Cartelisation over the political parties suggested by Katz & Mair propose that political parties progre... ... middle of paper ... ...al parties are indeed increasingly state-dependent and are even more dependent on public funding since it is a fact that voter-participation is declining, thus they need to exploit any benefits that can be attained to their favour. The oligopolistic notion is sought after by many units within societies, including political parties, but I believe that due to the “control” practiced by the respective institutions in each social sector, it is difficult to promote it (oligopoly) unless these institutions “allow” it to evolve which then would form not only Cartel Parties, but a state-wide cartelisation. Works Cited Ashton, Matthew Boyd. An Exploration and Critique of Katz and Mair's Cartel Party Theory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartel_party_theory http://www.grin.com/en/e-book/13410/the-katz-mair-koole-debate-about-cartel-parties http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartel

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of How American Politics Went Insane

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his depiction of the political parties, Rauch proclaims “there no longer is any such thing as a party leader. There are only individual actors, pursuing their own political interest and ideological missions willy-nilly.” Rauch points out, that political parties rely on the institutions that support and fund their political efforts. This comes in the form of financial backing for campaigns, support for important policy issues, and help to maintain the social hierarchy found within political parties. Rauch expresses his concern, that when political actors begin to take matters into their own hands, we begin to see rogues acting in their own

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Political Party Power

    1392 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has been much speculation whether political parties have become too strong in American politics and if that is a good or bad thing. My belief is that political party power in the United States is just about right where I believe that there are some instances where political parties have been in situations where they have too much power and instances where it is moderate. First off, political parties are crucial to our democratic government because it is composed of a group of people that the constituents elect to represent their issues or achieve a common goal. Being part of a group that shares your common interests or goals is more powerful than tackling an issue by your self. It gives you more voice and power in government. Also, political

    Read More

  • Is Party Competition Still Driven by Ideology?

    1444 Words  | 3 Pages

    Party is an inevitable feature of the democracy and it is defined as ‘an autonomous group of citizens having the purpose of making nominations and contesting elections in the hope of gaining control over governmental power through the capture of public offices and the organization of the government’ (Caramani, 2011, p.220). Parties are ubiquitous in modern political systems and they perform a number of functions, they are: coordination, contesting elections, recruitment, and representation (Caramani, 2011). Political parties are the product of the parliamentary and electoral game, and party systems reflect the social oppositions that characterize society when parties first appear (Coxall et al., 2011).

    Read More

  • Religion And Morality In George Washington's Farewell Address

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though he is aware that these parties are likely to grow, he advises that “wise people” (Washington, 1796) will discourage it. He cautions that in promoting political parties the danger arises of one party seeking the upper hand and that it ignites animosity at the expense of the public.

    Read More

  • Political Parties In The 1790s

    1746 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the 1790s, soon after the ratification of the Constitution, political parties were nonexistent in the USA because President Washington feared they would drive the country apart. However, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, with their rivalling mental models, could not help but spark the division of the United States into the Democratic-Republican and Federalist parties. These parties, the Democratic-Republican wanting a small, local government system and the Federalist wanting a strong, powerful government system, turned citizens against one another and eventually led to the inimical Democratic and Republican parties of today. Hence, the formation of the original political parties in the United States is very significant. Political

    Read More

  • The Two-Party System

    1627 Words  | 4 Pages

    system produces conflicts between the Congress and the President and promotes very outdated beliefs that stem from the Constitution. A vast majority of the American population has the stern belief that the Constitution does not need to be changed in any way, shape, or form. This belief, however, is keeping the country from progressing along with other countries around the world. These single parties are holding control of multiple branches of government at once and monopolizing the power during their respective terms. The government “faces an incapacity to govern since each party works as a majority party” and believes there is no reason for innovation (Dulio & Thurber, 2000). The two parties are seemingly always clashing about one thing or the other, making it difficult for things to get accomplished, and proves the thesis correct that the two-party system is ineffective for a growing country.

    Read More

  • Factionalism in America

    1750 Words  | 4 Pages

    In discussing the problems surrounding the issue of factionalism in American society, James Madison concluded in Federalist #10, "The inference to which we are brought is that the causes of cannot be removed and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects." (Federalist Papers 1999, 75) In many ways, the nature of American politics has revolved around this question since our country's birth. What is the relationship between parties and government? Should the party serve as an intermediary between the populace and government, and how should a government respond to disparate ideas espoused by the factions inherent to a free society. This paper will discuss the political evolution that has revolved around this question, examining different "regimes" and how they attempted to reconcile the relationship between power and the corresponding role of the people. Beginning with the Federalists themselves, we will trace this evolution until we reach the contemporary period, where we find a political climate described as "interest-group liberalism." Eventually this paper will seek to determine which has been the most beneficial, and which is ultimately preferable.

    Read More

  • The Second Party System

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    The breakdown of the second party system was also a reason for the outbreak of the Civil War. In the early 1850’s the Whig party disintegrated, the second party system collapsed and the Republican Party emerged to challenge the Democrats. Southern Revisionists have argued that the collapse of the Union had been preceded by the collapse of the 2nd party system and that the Whig disappeared only to re-emerge as the new Republican party in 1854 supported by nativist Know-Nothing votes. They have also argued that politicians created this tension on purpose to advance their careers, but by doing so they made the 2nd party system collapse. However recent historians, such as Hugh Tulloch, contradict this view by arguing that there is no one single

    Read More

  • The Two Party System of UK

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Two Party System of UK It has often been said that the United Kingdom possesses a two party political system. However, any balanced argument on this issue must take into account both the differing perspectives from which this subject can be viewed and the time period which is being evaluated. The two party theory is not universally accepted and many people argue that the UK can best be described as a multi party, dominant party or even a two and a half or three party system, depending on how the subject is approached. The most commonly held view is that Britain is a two party system.

    Read More

  • The First Political Parties

    2273 Words  | 5 Pages

    Today, political parties can be seen throughout everyday life, prevalent in various activities such as watching television, or seeing signs beside the road while driving. These everyday occurrences make the knowledge of political parties commonly known, especially as the two opposing political parties: the Republicans and the Democrats. Republican and Democrats have existed for numerous years, predominantly due to pure tradition, and the comfort of the ideas each party presents. For years, the existence of two political parties has dominated the elections of the president, and lower offices such as mayor, or the House of Representatives. Fundamentally, this tradition continues from the very emergence of political parties during the election of 1796, principally between Federalist John Adams and Anti-federalist Thomas Jefferson. Prior to this election people unanimously conformed to the ideas of one man, George Washington, and therefore did not require the need for political parties.1 However, following his presidency the public was divided with opposing opinions, each arguing the best methods to regulate the country. Ultimately, the emergence of different opinions regarding the future of the United States involving the economy, foreign relations, ‘the masses,’ and the interpretation of the Constitution, led to the two political parties of the 1790s and the critical election of 1800.

    Read More

  • Post-Democratization Politics: Clientelism and Corruption

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    . The constitutional heritage of former regimes, in which public resources have been widely utilized to obtain sustenance of backing networks causing the complication of administrative processing, influences the political landscape of the state after democratization (Gee, 2015, p. 42). Different types of backing and clientelism prevail across the political system and administrative procedures, as proved by yielding and acquisition operations being frequently adjusted on the basis of individual relations. Moreover, the elevating level of dependency on costs for political crusades has developed opportunities for political corruption and state seizure, especially at the local level (Strachan, 2014a, p. 12). Thus, the facts demonstrate that elevated levels of costs of political crusades and campaigns stimulate lawmakers and members of councils of provincial and district

    Read More

  • Federalist Papers 10 and 51

    730 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are two ways to get rid of the causes of factions, or political parties. The first way of removing these causes is to destroy the liberty essential to their existence. The second way to get rid of the causes is to give everyone the exact same o...

    Read More

  • Are Poliltical Parties in Decline?

    1263 Words  | 3 Pages

    The debate is often made that politics is rapidly becoming unpopular, unattractive and is ultimately shown to be out of favour with the masses, and this can be said to be reflected upon, and arguably due to, the traditional political parties in Great Britain. In order to receive a clearer picture of this shift in the political landscape the previously less mainstream parties must be entered into the discourse, and the changing behaviour of the voters in response to such movements must also be addressed. The case will be argued that the decline in traditional parties such as Labour and the Conservatives has some link to the rise of the UK Independence Party (Ukip) and the Respect party. The concept of the traditional parties and their failings to satisfy the electorate's demands for a fairer society and a substantially more stable economy is similarly important when inspecting the accelerated decline in support of the main parties. The works of academics contrast greatly in opinion on the decline of traditional parties, with many arguing that the change in the political landscape is only natural, and with many opposing this view point (and condemning the shift and the fall in political participation).

    Read More

  • Pluralism

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    The pluralistic scholar David Truman notes that “the proliferation of political interest groups [is] a natural and largely benign consequence of economic development” (Kernell 2000, 429). That is, as American economic development increases, in the form of industry, trade, and technology, factions are produced in order to protect special interests. Factions have a large platform on which to find support from various political parties, committees, subcommittees, and the courts, as well as federal, state, and local governments (Kernell 2000, 429).

    Read More

  • Understanding Political Parties: Definitions and Roles

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    A definition of a political party is not a dogma and can vary widely. According to Elmer Eric Schattschneider, “a political party is first of all an organized attempt to get power. Power is here defined as control of the government. That is the objective of party organization. The fact that the party aims at control of the government as a whole distinguishes it from pressure groups” (Schattschneider, 1942, p. 35). At the same time Giovanny Sartori describes party as: “any political group identified by an official label that presents it at elections, and is capable of placing through election… candidates for public office” (Sartori, 1976, p. 63). A “responsible” political party is an organized group of people sharing the same ideology, similar opinions and viewpoints, united by common values and goals and

    Read More

More about Political Parties: The Carte Party

Open Document