Political Parties & Interest Groups PDF

POLITICAL PARTIES, INTEREST GROUPS & SOCIAL MOVEMENTS  POLITICAL PARTIES, INTEREST GROUPS & SOCIAL MOVEMENTS 1. POLITICAL PARTIES 2. INTEREST & ADVOCACY GROUPS 3. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS  POLITICAL PARTIES, INT...

POLITICAL PARTIES, INTEREST GROUPS & SOCIAL MOVEMENTS  POLITICAL PARTIES, INTEREST GROUPS & SOCIAL MOVEMENTS 1. POLITICAL PARTIES 2. INTEREST & ADVOCACY GROUPS 3. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS  POLITICAL PARTIES, INTEREST GROUPS & SOCIAL MOVEMENTS Political parties seek to gain/maintain control of government through popular support and elections Interest groups seek to influence government through focused advocacy Social/political movements pursue government influence and social change  POLITICAL PARTIES Organizations that have a “central role in the competition for political power in legislative bodies and in governing” Provide a link between government and the people ‒ Enable/manage mass participation in politics ‒ Democratic: facilitate government accountability to people ‒ Autocratic: help government maintain power  POLITICAL PARTIES Roles of political parties ‒ Electoral success Selecting candidates for elected office Influence voters – generate support, mobilize electors/get out the vote ‒ Government Propose and pass legislative proposals Critically assess and offer alternatives Provide feedback/ communication between the people and government ‒ Recruitment & training ‒ Aggregating interests and demands  POLITICAL PARTIES TYPES OF POLITICAL PARTIES Cadre party Mass party Pragmatic party Ideological party Interest party Personal party Movement party  POLITICAL PARTIES POLITICAL PARTY SYSTEMS One-party system Two-party system Two-party plus system Multi-party system  POLITICAL PARTIES - TYPES MASS PARTIES “A party that draws its support from regular dues-paying membership and features a strong party organization outside the legislature.” e.g. Labour [UK], socialist parties CADRE PARTIES “A loosely organized party usually established by members of a legislative body with the support of local notables … concerned primarily with electing members of the party to legislative bodies rather than with building a strong, centralized, membership-based organization outside the legislature.” e.g. early Conservative, Liberal [Canada, UK], Republican, Democratic [US]  POLITICAL PARTIES - TYPES PRAGMATIC/ ELECTORAL-PROFESSIONAL PARTIES “dominant concern is winning elections” relying “on professional experts to market the party to voters” Common in major political parties Focus more on practical considerations/consequences than ideology ‒ appealing to a large number of voters, responding to public opinion ‒ winning elections / influencing policy Programs perceived as solutions Principles are not constant – more flexible Proposals often similar – “borrowed” from other party platforms  POLITICAL PARTIES - TYPES PRAGMATIC/ ELECTORAL-PROFESSIONAL PARTIES Brokerage parties Seek compromises Accommodate a range of interests Appeal to groups and individuals needed to win a majority of seats E.g. Liberals and Conservatives, Republicans and Democrats PROGRAMMATIC/IDEOLOGICAL/ POLITICAL PARTIES - TYPES INTEREST PARTIES Focus more on party program/ ideological principles than electoral gains Policies based on ideological doctrine E.g. NDP, Green, Reform Party [1987-2000], BQ, CCF May appeal to voters who think pragmatic parties are inconsistent  POLITICAL PARTIES - TYPES INTEREST PARTIES An interest group transforms into a political party Seeks to directly implement policy rather than influencing parties/governments E.g. National Party, Australia (originally a farmer’s party) Green parties  POLITICAL PARTIES - TYPES PROGRAMMATIC/IDEOLOGICAL & INTEREST PARTIES Offer voters a clear choice Intensify (rather than reconcile) division  POLITICAL PARTIES - TYPES PERSONAL/PERSONALISTIC PARTIES Centre around a single leader “dominated by a powerful leader controlled with a weak party organization that follows the wishes of the leader” E.g. ‒ Gaullist Party (Charles de Gaulle, France) ‒ Peronista Party (Juan Perón, Argentina) ‒ ZANU-PF (Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front) – Robert Mugabe  POLITICAL PARTIES - TYPES MOVEMENT PARTIES An outgrowth of a political movement Seeks fundamental social change E.g. national independence Indian National Congress – sought independence from Britain Bloc Québecois ONE-PARTY SYSTEMS POLITICAL PARTIES - SYSTEMS Single-party systems ‒ Only one party exists, no others are legally permitted E.g. Communist Party, USSR – guaranteed in the constitution One-party-dominant systems ‒ A single party dominates E.g. Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Mexico (1929-2000) ‒ Used government to perpetuate its power E.g. Democratic Party (US): Dominated the southern US for a century after the Civil War E.g. Alberta: Progressive Conservative Party (1971-2015), Social Credit (1935- 71) United Farmers of Alberta (1921-1935) Liberal (1905-1921)  POLITICAL PARTIES - SYSTEMS TWO-PARTY SYSTEMS Two parties are primary electoral contenders ‒ UK: Conservatives and Labour (with Liberal Democrats + regional parties) ‒ US: Democrats and Republicans (+ Green…) Two party plus systems ‒ Canada: Liberals and Conservatives + Social Credit, CCF, NDP, BQ, Reform Party/Canadian Alliance May be seen as more stable in parliamentary systems Arguably provide voters a clear choice  POLITICAL PARTIES - SYSTEMS MULTI-PARTY SYSTEMS Three or more parties are contenders for power Usually these parties are ideological or interest parties Majority governments are more difficult to achieve coalitions are formed Difficulties making compromises may lead to more frequent changes of government ‒ Governments in countries like Sweden, Denmark and Norway are more durable. ‒ Governments in countries like Israel and Italy change more frequently.  POLITICAL PARTIES - SYSTEMS PARTY REPRESENTATION ‒ Fewer than 5% of voters belong to a political party ‒ Often criticized as elitist – most members are higher income voters ‒ Some parties advocate for lower income, marginalized people – e.g. Green ‒ Populist parties are becoming more influential ‒ Right-leaning, nationalist  INTEREST / ADVOCACY GROUPS “An organization that pursues the common interests of groups of people, particularly by trying to influence the development, adoption, and implementation of public policies.” “seeks to influence government policy, but not to (Assembly of First Nations) govern.” Also referred to as lobby groups, pressure groups, “special interest” groups…  INTEREST / ADVOCACY GROUPS Distinct from political parties but may be closely associated with them ‒ e.g. NDP’s association with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Self-interest groups - advocate primarily or only for members ‒ e.g. land developers lobbying municipal governments Public interest groups ‒ Advocate goals seen “as being for the community as a whole” ‒ e.g. Amnesty International, environmental groups promoting parks policies Increased influence due to Decline in political party affiliation ‒ Tech changes making communication, organization and fundraising easier  INTEREST / ADVOCACY GROUPS TYPES OF INTEREST/ADVOCACY GROUPS Associational ‒ Formal organizations advancing members’ long term interests (E.g. Canadian Medical Association (CMA), Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)) ‒ Usually have representatives in provincial and/or federal capitals  INTEREST / ADVOCACY GROUPS TYPES OF INTEREST/ADVOCACY GROUPS (CONT’D) Institutional ‒ Formal organization: established membership, paid professional staff, permanent offices, able to raise public and member awareness ‒ Organizations with close government associations (E.g. Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), National council of Veterans’ Associations of Canada) Issue-oriented/ Spontaneous/ Anomic ‒ Spontaneous groups that emerge in response to a particular issue (E.g. #MeToo, BLM?) Non-associational/latent ‒ Not formally organized, but share a common identity ‒ Have the potential to mobilize and exert influence  INTEREST / ADVOCACY GROUPS FACTORS AFFECTING INFLUENCE Size and cohesion ‒ Large numbers with the potential to work/vote together Organization ‒ Ability to mobilize members and supporters ‒ A group that can produce cohesion, effective communication etc. will have more influence Connections and alliances ‒ With key government policy developers  INTEREST / ADVOCACY GROUPS FACTORS AFFECTING INFLUENCE (CONT’D) Finances ‒ $ can pay for lobbyists, research, public information campaigns/advertising... Leadership ‒ Can help promote organization, cohesion, financial support and public resonance Perception – government + public ‒ An issue that appeals to large numbers or reflects government priorities increases influence ‒ Respect for expertise/credibility  INTEREST / ADVOCACY GROUPS FACTORS AFFECTING INFLUENCE (CONT’D) Perception of impact Credibility/ability to follow up on threats of consequences Prediction of financial impact Potential voter/election impact Presence/absence of competing interest groups  INTEREST / ADVOCACY GROUPS Benefits ‒ Promote participation / engagement ‒ Increase confidence in the system – if successful, even partially ‒ Generate information/ awareness / research Problems ‒ May give disproportionate influence to some ‒ Perception that some have special access/privileges ‒ E.g. business interests, organized labour vs regular workers ‒ Meat packing plant owners who were granted immunity from lawsuits, NRA’s resistance to gun control Disincentive to compromise (Court challenges)  SOCIAL MOVEMENTS E.g. pro-democracy, anti-racism, feminism, environmentalism, anti- globalization… May be related to interest groups  SOCIAL MOVEMENTS Distinctions from interest groups ‒ Level of organization ‒ Scope Transnational/Global ‒ Focus on fundamental change End discrimination (gendered, racial…), Profound transformation - economic/ social / cultural/ class/ governance Systematic reworking of energy ‒ Techniques Protests, boycotts etc. Use of Technology, Social Media….