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OverviewHow relevant and vital are political parties in contemporary democracies? Do they fulfill the functions that any stable and effective democracy might expect of them, or are they little more than moribund anachronisms, relics of a past age of political life, now superseded by other mechanisms of linkage between state and society? These are the central questions which this book aims to address through a rigorous comparative analysis of political parties operating in the world's advanced industrial democracies. Drawing on the expertise of an impressive team of internationally known specialists, the book engages systematically with the evidence to show that, while a degree of popular cynicism towards them is often chronic, though rarely acute, parties have adapted and survived as organizations, remodelling themselves to the needs of an era in which patterns of linkage and communication with social groups have been transformed. This has enabled them to remain central to democratic systems, especially in respect of the political functions of governance, recruitment and, albeit more problematically, interest aggregation. On the other hand, the challenges they face in respect of interest articulation, communication and participation have pushed parties into more marginal roles within Western political systems. The implications of these findings for democracy depend on the observer's normative and theoretical perspectives. Those who understand democracy primarily in terms of popular choice and control in public affairs will probably see parties as continuing to play a central role, while those who place greater store by the more demanding criteria of optimizing interests and instilling civic orientations among citizens are far more likely to be fundamentally critical. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Paul Webb (, Professor of Politics, University of Sussex) , David Farrell (, Senior Jean Monnet Lecturer, Department of Government, University of Manchester) , Ian Holliday (, Professor of Policy Studies and Head of the Department of Public and Social Administration, City University of Hong Kong.)Publisher: Oxford University Press Imprint: Oxford University Press Edition: New edition Dimensions: Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 23.30cm Weight: 0.756kg ISBN: 9780199240562ISBN 10: 0199240566 Pages: 488 Publication Date: 26 September 2002 Audience: Professional and scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Paperback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: To order  Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us. Table of Contents1: Paul Webb: Introduction: Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies 2: Paul Webb: Political Parties in Britain: Secular Decline or Adaptive Resilience? 3: Change and Functionality Luciano Bardi: Italian Parties 4: Susan E. Scarrow: Party Decline in the Parties State? The Changing Environment of German Politics 5: Andrew Knapp: France: Never a Golden Age 6: Kris Deschouwer: The Colour Purple: The End of Predictable Politics in the Low Countries 7: Jan Sundberg: The Scandinavian Party Model at the Crossroads 8: R. J. Murphy and David M. Farrell: Party Politics in Ireland: Regularizing a Volatile System 9: Ian Holliday: Spain: Building a Parties State in a New Democracy 10: Simon Hix: Parties at the European Level 11: John C. Green: Still Functional After All These Years: Parties in America, 1960-2000 12: R. Kenneth Carty: Canada's 19th Century Cadre Parties at the Millennium 13: Ian McAllister: Political Parties in Australia: Party Stability in a Utilitarian Society 14: Jack Vowles: Parties and Society in New Zealand 15: Paul Webb: Conclusion: Political Parties and Democratic Control in Advanced Industrial SocietiesReviewsAuthor InformationTab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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