Making Sense of Party systems

1
Making Sense of Party systems

• Getting oriented

2
Midterm

• Thursday, Feb. 26th
• Two parts
• Part I Short essays Briefly comment on the
  validity of six (6) of the following statements.
• 10 points each, 600 (35 minutes)
• 1. The organization of political parties mirrors
  the organization of the states which they seek to
  control.
• 2. American party organization has been in
  decline since the 19th century
• Part II Longer essay. Answer one (1) of the
  following questions
• 40 40 minutes

3
Party systems

• System any regular, recurring pattern of
  interaction
• Party system the context in which parties
  operate and interact with each other.
• Systemness a partys strategy, tactics, and
  behaviour affected (among other things) by what
  other parties do
• what one party does influences others they need
  to take account of its behaviour, strategies, the
  support which it can win

4
Electoral systems

• Translate popular vote into seats in parliament
• A set of decision rules
• A way of deciding who won if you get an outcome
  like this

Party A 35
Party B 30
Party C 20
Party D 15
5
Getting oriented

• A look at some party systems
• Canada
• UK
• Germany
• Sweden
• Netherlands

6
The Canadian Party System

• How would you describe it?
• Number of parties?
• Who competes with whom?
• Dimensions
• How important is the systemic element?

7
Some answers

• Two, three, four or 4 parties?
• Incomplete competition
• not everyone competes with everyone else
• One dimensional or multi-dimensional?
• Relations between provincial party systems and
  the federal party system?

8
The UK Party System

• The 19th c party system
• Liberals Liberal Unionists
  Conservatives
• _____________________________________
• Irish Nationalists
• The 20th c party system
• Labour Liberals
  Conservatives

9
The Federal Republic of Germany

• 1957-1983
• SPD FPD CDU/CSU
• _______________________________
• 1983-1989
• G SPD FDP CDU/CSU
• _______________________________
• 1990-2005/6
• PDS G SPD CDU/CSU FDP
• __________________________________
• 12005/6-present
• Left Party G SPD CDU/CSU FDP
• __________________________________

10
Sweden

• pre-1990
• Left SD Centre Liberal Conservative
• __________________________________
• From the 1990s
• Left SD Centre Lib Cons New Democ.
• ___________________________________