Comparative Politics Chapter 5 Interest Aggregation and Political Parties

Introduction Interest Aggregation- activity in which the political demands of individuals and groups are combined into policy programs. Political parties are important to interest aggregation in both democratic and non- democratic systems.

Personal Interest Aggregation Patron-client network- a structure in which a central officeholder, authority figure, or group provides benefits to supporters in exchange for their loyalty (ie feudal system, Boss Tweed)

Institutional Interest Aggregation Associational groups- operate merely to express demands and support political contenders such as political parties; occasionally wield sufficient resources to become contenders in their own right Institutional groups- bureaucratic and military factions that serve as interest aggregators

Competitive Party Systems and Interest Aggregation Competitive party systems- work to build electoral support; find what voters want, get supporters involved, and represent these interests within the political process Authoritarian party systems- noncompetitive systems that seek to direct society

Competitive Party Systems and Elections Plurality election rule- occurs when a country is divided into districts; winner only needs to exceed other candidates’ votes (plurality), not obtain a majority Proportional representation- occurs when a country is divided into a few, large districts; legislative representation a party wins depends on overall proportion of the votes it receives Election turnout- percentage of eligible voters that participate in an election

Classifying Competitive Party Systems Majoritarian party systems- either dominated by just two parties (US), or they have two substantial parties and election laws that create legislative majorities for one of them (Britain) Multiparty systems- have combinations of parties, voter support, and election laws that virtually ensure no single party wins a legislative majority

Classifying Competitive Party Systems Consensual party system- dominating parties not too far apart on policy, have reasonable amount of trust in each other and political system Conflictual party system- dominating parties are far apart on issues or highly antagonistic towards each other Consociational party system- mixed characteristics of the two main party systems

Authoritarian Party Systems Exclusive governing party- insists on control over political resources by the party leadership; does not permit activity by social groups, citizens, or other governmental agencies Inclusive governing party- recognizes and attempts to coordinate various social groups in the society; accepts and aggregates certain autonomous interests, while repressing others

Military and Interest Aggregation Military governments- government whose power resides in the control of instruments of force; military is by far the most important influence of interest aggregation