Parties today: American parties Parties in new democracies

National Committees Republican National Committee (RNC) emerges as super PAC in 1970s –RNC use of direct mail –Use of phone banks –Production of ads, flyers –Market research & monitoring Democratic National Committee follows

National Campaign Committees Encourage and support new candidates (freshman) Assist candidates Assist state and local party organization No policy role

Parties as whole: Centre is stronger in each party But parties still profoundly decentralized Contain multiple centres of power: –State and local parties –Candidate-centred organization – Role of Campaign Consultants –PACs as alternate centres of power –Bastions of power in the House and Senate

Bottom line: Neither cadre nor mass nor cartel Traces of catch-all: –Attempts to cast a broad net –Use of broad coalitional strategies These are parties with broad horizontal bargains and loose vertical bargains Parties as containers for conflict?

Parties in new democracies Thinly organized Ideologically incoherent Often weakly rooted in society Dependent on the state

Problems: Rapid start-up Insufficient resources Presence of aid organizations, IMF and World Bank defining political agenda – scant space left over for political parties Weak instritutionalization

Central and Eastern Europe Multiparty politics entrenched Thin parties –Weak roots –Dependence on the state for finance

Latin America Parties thrive in democratic interludes, but: Lack of resources, especially patronage to cultivate loyalties Constricted policy space Problems of presidentialism?

Variations: –Chile –Argentina –Brazil –Mexico –Venezuela –Peru

Africa Importance of clientelism, patron-client relationships Ethnicity as a basis for voting Ideological incoherence

Asia Money politics

Calm Before the Storm? The 2007 Provincial Election and Beyond Wednesday, Oct. 24, 7-9pm, Room EN-2006 (Engineering lecture theatre – All Welcome) An engaging evening of pundits sharing their views on the 2007 election campaign, the future of the province’s political parties, and what to expect during Danny Williams’ second term as Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Discussants: Chris O’Neill-Yates, CBC TV Christopher Dunn, Department of Political Science David Cochrane, CBC TV/radio Rob Antle, The Telegram Stephen Tomblin, Department of Political Science