Parties and Party Competition

(5 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

N.B. Prior coding knowledge and knowledge of quantitative research methods are NOT required. How can we identify differences between party systems, determine party positions, and measure public opinion? Do parties keep their promises, or are politicians "pledge breakers"? Are promises in certain policy areas more likely to be fulfilled? IN what policy areas do parties differ in terms of their positions and issue emphasis? And do parties respond to changes in public opinion? In this module, we first discuss the main functions of political parties, outline features of representative democracies, and identify ways of measuring public opinion. Next, we assess whether parties keep their promises, whether the "mandate model of democracy" is a desirable and realistic model of political representation, and how we could improve existing studies on election pledge fulfillment. Afterwards, we investigate parties' willingness and capacity to respond to changes in public opinion. Fourth, we discuss different approaches to measuring party positions, political ideology, and the salience of policy areas. Finally, we briefly discuss alternative types of political participation that go beyond representative government and electoral democracy.