A Theory of Political Parties: Groups, Policy Demands and Nominations in American Politics

We propose a theory of political parties in which interest groups and activists are the key actors, and coalitions of groups develop common agendas and screen candidates for party nominations based on loyalty to their agendas. This theoretical stance contrasts with currently dominant theories, which...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Perspectives on politics 2012-09, Vol.10 (3), p.571-597
Main Authors: Bawn, Kathleen, Cohen, Martin, Karol, David, Masket, Seth, Noel, Hans, Zaller, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activism
Civil Rights
Extremist parties
Interest Groups
International congresses
Legislative Bodies
Loyalty
Nomination
Political candidates
Political elections
Political extremism
Political interest groups
Political Parties
Political science
Political theory
Politicians
Presidents
Primary elections
State legislatures
U.S.A
Voters
Voting
Voting Behavior
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Summary:We propose a theory of political parties in which interest groups and activists are the key actors, and coalitions of groups develop common agendas and screen candidates for party nominations based on loyalty to their agendas. This theoretical stance contrasts with currently dominant theories, which view parties as controlled by election-minded politicians. The difference is normatively important because parties dominated by interest groups and activists are less responsive to voter preferences, even to the point of taking advantage of lapses in voter attention to politics. Our view is consistent with evidence from the formation of national parties in the 1790s, party position change on civil rights and abortion, patterns of polarization in Congress, policy design and nominations for state legislatures, Congress, and the presidency.
ISSN:1537-5927
1541-0986
DOI:10.1017/S1537592712001624