Authoritarian Origins of Democratic Party Systems in Africa
Authoritarian Origins of Democratic Party Systems in Africa

Author: Rachel Beatty Riedl

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-02-13

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 1139916904

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Why have seemingly similar African countries developed very different forms of democratic party systems? Despite virtually ubiquitous conditions that are assumed to be challenging to democracy - low levels of economic development, high ethnic heterogeneity, and weak state capacity - nearly two dozen African countries have maintained democratic competition since the early 1990s. Yet the forms of party system competition vary greatly: from highly stable, nationally organized, well-institutionalized party systems to incredibly volatile, particularistic parties in systems with low institutionalization. To explain their divergent development, Rachel Beatty Riedl points to earlier authoritarian strategies to consolidate support and maintain power. The initial stages of democratic opening provide an opportunity for authoritarian incumbents to attempt to shape the rules of the new multiparty system in their own interests, but their power to do so depends on the extent of local support built up over time.

The Logic of Multiparty Systems
The Logic of Multiparty Systems

Author: M.J. Holler

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 9400936079

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What determines the number of political parties in a democracy? Electoral rules certainly influence the incentives to create and maintain parties. However, a society's political culture can maintain parties despite electoral rules that give them poor prospects of success. Thus, comparing the number of parties and differences in electoral rules across countries cannot clearly test the effect of the electoral rules. A better test would examine a society with a fairly continuous political culture, but a change in electoral rules. Postwar France is such a society. While the basic social order has not changed, there was a drastic change in the electoral system in 1958, which theory implies would reduce the number of parties. Thus we can test the hypothesis that the number of parties fell with the change in electoral system. We can also calculate an " equivalent number of parties· to see how closely France approached a two - party system under the new regime. The first section describes the electoral rules under the Fourth and Fifth Republics. The second section develops a model that indicates how the change in electoral rules should have affected the incentives for multiple parties. The third section tests the hypothesis that the number of parties fell from the Fourth to the Fifth Republic. 1. Electoral Rules In the French Fourth Republic (1945 - 1958) political parties existed largely to serve the direct interests of their members.

Multiparty Politics in America
Multiparty Politics in America

Author: Paul S. Herrnson

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13:

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In the wake of Ross Perot, Ralph Nader, and other 'third' party and independent candidates that ran in the 1996 election, this collection of original essays by leading political scientists and third party officials is must reading for individuals interested in American politics. Multiparty Politics in America examines the roles that third parties have played in U.S. elections past and present and their prospects for the future. It presents unique and detailed coverage of the Reform, Green, and Libertarian parties' goals and campaign strategies; discusses the kinds of reforms that would help them become more viable; and advances the debate over whether the U.S. should have a two-party or multiparty system.

Beyond Two Parties
Beyond Two Parties

Author: Dan Eckam

Publisher:

Published: 2019-11-25

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 9781734255706

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The U.S. two-party system is unique among populous Western-style democracies in its exclusion of minor parties. It is truly a duopoly, a "cornered market" - at the federal level, no third party has been elected to a congressional seat since 1948. The last time fewer than 95 percent of seats went to Democrats and Republicans was in 1896. Yet the main parties did change in the 1850s, and there were many times during the 19th century that several parties were represented in Congress. In Beyond Two Parties, Dan Eckam explores how our party system has changed over time and how the way we vote influences it. Alternative voting methods, such as ranked-choice voting, exert a strong and well-understood influence on the number of parties in the system. Using informative charts, tables and diagrams, along with numerous scholarly references, he explains why our party system is so different from other countries' and how it could be changed by adopting a different voting system - with no constitutional amendments required. Using many examples, the author makes a strong case for why we should change to a multiparty system - beginning with an analysis of the two-party system's shortcomings. These include an inherent potential for hijackings, hostage-takings and corruption, thus falling short of the responsiveness and responsibility a great republic should be able to expect from government. He explains how a multiparty system would do a better job of representing the people's interests, and how it would bring benefits ranging from clearer policy positions to improved voter turnout and an end to gerrymandering. Most importantly, by giving voters more choices, such a system would increase competition and thus improve accountability. Despite the many advantages of a multiparty system, some people still defend the two-party system - including elected leaders who have gained their positions under it. In Beyond Two Parties, Eckam engages with their arguments, and offers rebuttals and strategies voters can use to help bring about reform. In combining well-established science with a compelling argument for improving American democracy, the book offers both an insightful analysis and a resource for reformers.

Two Parties--or More?
Two Parties--or More?

Author: John F Bibby

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-05-20

Total Pages: 173

ISBN-13: 0429975228

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Students of American government are faced with an enduring dilemma: Why two parties? Why has this system remained largely intact while around the world democracies support multiparty systems? Should our two-party system continue as we enter the new millennium? This newly revised and updated edition of Two Parties-Or More? answers these questions by

The Dynamics of Two-Party Politics
The Dynamics of Two-Party Politics

Author: Alan Ware

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2009-06-11

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0191570052

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This book examines the role played by the parties themselves in two-party systems. It rejects the argument that the behaviour of the parties is determined largely by social forces or by the supposed logic of the electoral market. Instead, it shows that both structure and agency can matter. It focuses on three major aspects of change in two-party systems: (i) why occasionally major parties ( such as the British Liberals) collapse; (ii) why collapsed parties sometimes survive as minor parties, and sometimes do not; and (iii) what determines why, and how, major parties will ally themselves with minor parties in order to maximize their chances of winning. With respect to the first aspect it is argued that major parties are advantaged by two factors: the resources they have accumulated already, and their occupying role similar to that called by Thomas Schelling a "focal arbiter". Consequently, party collapse is rare. When it has occurred in nation states it is the result of a major party having to fight opposition on "two separate fronts". The survival of a collapsed party depends largely on its internal structure; when a party has linked closely the ambitions of politicians at different levels of office, party elimination is more likely. The main arena in which agency is significant - that is, when leadership is possible, including the politician acting as heresthetician - is in the re-building of coalitions. This is necessary for maximizing the chances of a party winning, but, for various reasons, coalitions between major and minor parties are usually difficult to construct. Comparative Politics is a series for scholars and students of political science that deals with contemporary issues in comparative government and politics. The General Editor is David M. Farrell, Jean Monnet Chair in European Politics and Head of School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester. The series is published in association with the European Consortium for Political Research.

Altering Party Systems
Altering Party Systems

Author: Simon Hug

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2010-05-06

Total Pages: 167

ISBN-13: 0472024051

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New political parties have regularly appeared in developed democracies around the world. In some countries issues focusing on the environment, immigration, economic decline, and regional concerns have been brought to the forefront by new political parties. In other countries these issues have been addressed by established parties, and new issue-driven parties have failed to form. Most current research is unable to explain why under certain circumstances new issues or neglected old ones lead to the formation of new parties. Based on a novel theoretical framework, this study demonstrates the crucial interplay between established parties and possible newcomers to explain the emergence of new political parties. Deriving stable hypotheses from a simple theoretical model, the book proceeds to a study of party formation in twenty-two developed democracies. New or neglected issues still appear as a driving force in explaining the emergence of new parties, but their effect is partially mediated by institutional factors, such as access to the ballot, public support for parties, and the electoral system. The hypotheses in part support existing theoretical work, but in part present new insights. The theoretical model also pinpoints problems of research design that are hardly addressed in the comparative literature on new political parties. These insights from the theoretical model lead to empirical tests that improve on those employed in the literature and allow for a much-enhanced understanding of the formation and the success of new parties. Simon Hug is Lecturer in Political Science, University of Geneva.