1. Chapter Five Interest Aggregation and Political Parties

2. Learning Objectives 5.1 Describe patron–client networks. 5.2 Explain how groups can act as interest aggregators. 5.3 Compare and contrast competitive and authoritarian party systems and their roles in interest aggregation. 5.4 Discuss the types of electoral systems and their relation to patterns of electoral competition. 5.5 Describe the features of different competitive party systems. 5.6 Compare and contrast exclusive and inclusive authoritarian party systems. 5.7 Describe the range of the military’s role as an interest aggregator. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. Personal Interest Aggregation The process by which political demands are combined into policy programs How interests are aggregated is key feature of political process Democracies: two or more parties compete to gain support for their alternative policy programs. Autocracies: ruling party may try to mobilize citizens’ support for its policies but it is covert and controlled Parties The distinctive and defining goal of a political party - its mobilization of support for policies and candidates - is especially related to interest aggregation © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. Personal Interest Aggregation Patron-Client Networks System in which central authority figure provides benefits (patronage) to supporters in exchange for loyalty Primitive structure out of which larger more complicated political structures are composed With patron-client networks it is difficult to mobilize political resources behind unified policies or to respond to crises Static system Structure runs through the political processes of countries such as the Philippines, Japan, and India. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

6. Institutional Interest Aggregation In developing societies: citizens become aware of larger collective interests; have resources and skills to work for them personal networks are regulated, limited, incorporated within broader organizations. Institutional Groups: bureaucratic agencies and military groups are important interest aggregators government agencies may be “captured” by interest groups and used to support their demands. © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. Competitive Party Systems and Interest Aggregation Parties are primary structures of interest aggregation. Political parties are groups or organizations that seek to place candidates in office under their label. competitive party system – build electoral support authoritarian party system – parties direct society © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

8. Competitive Party Systems and Interest Aggregation History and development of parties internally created parties externally created parties Stable party families: Social Democrats, Conservatives, Christian Democrats, Nationalists, Liberals, etc. Party systems of democratic countries show stability Two-party systems are not exactly alike differences emerge due to various factors, including electoral systems © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

9. Elections In democracies, elections are important to parties: Determine whether they survive Voting is simplest and most frequently performed political act Citizens make collective decisions about future leaders and policies Elections aggregate diverse concerns into collective decision © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

10. Electoral Systems Rules by which elections are conducted Determine who can vote, how people vote, how votes get counted Single-member district plurality (SMDP) election rule First past the post Variation on this is majority runoff system Proportional representation (PR) Primary elections SMD elections: party officials select candidates Proportional representation elections: party draws up list of candidates © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. Patterns of Electoral Competition Duverger’s law: single-member districts create 2-party systems Mechanical effect – 3 rd parties don’t win Psychological effect – voters anticipate mechanical effect Strategic voting- support given to avoid worse situation Anthony Downs 2-party systems: centrist pull or “convergence” Effective number of parties © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

14. Competitive Parties in Government Ability to implement policies is determined by nature of electoral outcome W inning control of legislature and executive Coalition governments Aggregation of interests at executive level rather than electoral can have costs and benefits © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

15. Cooperation and Conflict in Competitive Party Systems Majoritarian two-party systems: dominated by two parties (U.S) have two dominant parties and election laws that create legislative majorities for one (Britain) Majority-coalition systems: establish pre-electoral coalitions so voters know which parties will work together to form government Multiparty systems: election laws and party systems that ensure no single party wins legislative majority no tradition of pre-election coalitions © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

16. Cooperation and Conflict in Competitive Party Systems Consensual party system: parties are not far apart on policies and trust each other and political system Conflictual party system: parties are far apart on policies and are antagonistic toward each other and political system Consociational (accommodative) party system: party systems have both consensual and conflictual features © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

17. Authoritarian Party Systems Can also aggregate interests Aggregation takes place within party or interactions with groups Exclusive governing party – total control, permits no opposition Inclusive governing party – accepts some groups Authoritarian corporatist system – encourages interests but gives them no power Electoral authoritarianism – façade of democracy © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

18. The Military and Interest Aggregation Military has instruments of force and organizational capacity Absent strong constitutional tradition, it is effective contender for power Major limitation in interest aggregation is that military is not designed for this © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

19. Trends in Interest Aggregation Democratic trend in the world has gained momentum since the end of the 1980s. In 1990s – first time in world history there are more free than unfree states Many African nations have moved toward freedom Unfree states remain in Middle East, Central Asia, Africa Authoritarian regimes remain in Zimbabwe, Sudan, Somalia © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

20. Significance of Interest Aggregation How interests are aggregated is important determinant of what government does for and to citizens Democratic countries’ competitive party systems narrow down and combine policy preferences Noncompetitive party systems, military governments, monarchies - aggregation works differently, but with similar effect of narrowing policy options Aggregation ultimately affects government’s adaptability and stability © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.