Democracy and the cartelization of political parties

Description

Political parties have long been recognized as essential institutions of democratic governance. Both the organization of parties, and their relationships with citizens, the state, and each other have evolved since the rise of liberal democracy in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Going into the 21st century, it appears that parties losing popular support, putting both parties, and potentially democracy, in peril. This book traces the evolution of parties from the model of the mass party, through the catch-all party model, to argue that by the late 20th century the principal governing parties and (and their allied smaller parties - collectively the political 'mainstream') were effectively forming a cartel, in which the form of competition might remain, and indeed even appear to intensify, while its substance was increasingly hollowed out. The spoils of office were increasingly shared rather than restricted to the temporary winners; contentious policy questions were kept off the political agenda, and competition shifted from large questions of policy to minor questions of managerial competence. To support this cartel, the internal arrangements of parties changed to privilege the party in public office over the party on the ground. The unintended consequence has been to stimulate the rise of extra-cartel challengers to these cozy arrangements in the form of anti-party-system parties and populist oppositions on the left, but especially on the right.  Read more... Cover Democracy and the Cartelization of Political Parties Copyright Preface Contents List of Figures List of Tables 1: The Problem THE SIMPLE PRINCIPAL-AGENT MODEL OF PARTY GOVERNMENT PARTY CHANGE THE CARTEL THESIS CARTEL PARTIES AND A PARTY CARTEL MAKING SENSE OF CARTELIZATION CARTEL PARTIES CONSTRAINTS ON CARTELIZATION CRITICISMS IMPLICATIONS PLAN OF THE BOOK 2: The Rise and Decline of Parties THE ELITE PARTY THE MASS PARTY THE CATCH-ALL PARTY 3: The Locus of Power in Parties THE EROSION OF THE PARTY ON THE GROUND POLITICS AS A PROFESSION CONCLUSION 4: Parties and One AnotherPOLICY CONVERGENCE CHANGING MODES OF COMPETITION COALITIONS 5: Parties and the State PARTY LAWS PARTIES AS ORGANIZATIONS PARTIES AS AGENTS OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND AS ELECTION CONTESTANTS PARTIES IN GOVERNMENT PARTY FINANCE PARTY LAWS AND PARTISAN SELF-INTEREST EXPANSION OF PUBLIC-PARTISAN OFFICES 6: The Cartel Party THE CARTEL THESIS REVIEWED IDEAL TYPES IN SOCIAL THEORY CARTELS IN ECONOMICS AND POLITICS A CARTEL OF PARTIES THE CARTEL PARTY THE CARTEL PARTY, CONSENSUS DEMOCRACY, AND THE REGULATORY STATE 7: The Cartel Party and Populist Opposition TIES BETWEEN CITIZENS AND PARTIESEXPERTISE AND OUTPUT LEGITIMATION WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH PARTY DEMOCRACY ANYWAY? THE RISE OF POPULISM LOOKING TO THE FUTURE A FINAL NOTE References Index