Political Parties and Party Systems in Africa: Themes and Research Perspectives

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni M. Carbone
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Empirical Knowledge ◽  
African Politics ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Research Perspectives ◽  
Key Issues

The last decade of the twentieth century was characterised by a resurgence of multipartism in Africa. The return of political parties produced a discontinuity not only in the continent's political life, but also in the study of African politics. A number of new researches were carried out that were largely based on existing theories and concepts in political science. These new works thus contributed to an increased integration of the study of politics south of the Sahara with mainstream political science. The present article provides an overview of the insights and advances that these studies have produced, focusing on the key issues raised by the return of party pluralism in Africa and on the utility of existing models, theories and approaches for its understanding. There is little doubt that recent research efforts have advanced our knowledge of the changing politics of the continent. However, neither the elaboration of theoretical frameworks nor the detail of empirical knowledge has achieved adequate levels of development as yet.

scholarly journals The Philosophical and Political Views of M. Ya. Ostrogorsky (1854–1921) and their Modern Significance

2022 ◽  
pp. 145-151
Author(s):  
G. G. Filippov ◽  
S. A. Oskin
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Theoretical Studies ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Political Views

Theoretical studies of practical political life conducted by M. Ya. Ostrogorsky allow us to call him one of the founders of Russian political science and party science. His doctrine was the first systematized theory of the emergence, functioning and development of political parties, the laws of their evolution and the technology of activity. He described the tendency to establish an oligarchic leadership of political parties and the failure of moral regulators of political processes taking place in society.

Latin-American Political Parties and Ideologies: An Overview

1967 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-86
Author(s):  
Donald W. Bray
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Political Party ◽  
Political Power ◽  
Political Life ◽  
The Political ◽  
Coup D'etat ◽  
Latin American Countries

In a majority of Latin-American countries the coup d'etat rather than the ballot is still the institutionalized mechanism for transferring political power. Some states, like Haiti and Paraguay, are clearly in the “prehistory” of modern political parties. Nevertheless, in the twentieth century the political party with a developed ideology has become a major feature of Latin-American political life.

scholarly journals Supreme Power: “Forgotten” Category in Political Science?

2021 ◽  
Vol 103 (4) ◽  
pp. 163-182
Author(s):  
P. I. Kostogryzov
Keyword(s):  
Political Science ◽  
Separation Of Powers ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
Legal Science ◽  
Modern Level ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
The Right

The article is devoted to the analysis of the concept of supreme power, which, according to the author, is undeservedly neglec ted by the modern Political Science. Despite the high importance of this concept, its definition is lacking in dictionaries, as well as most textbooks and reviews. Legal Science and State Studies have known this concept at least since the 16th century. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, due to the works of such scientists as Boris Chicherin, Alexander Alekseev, Nikolay Korkunov, Georg Jellinek, Lev Tikhomirov, Petr Kazansky the academic consensus was formed that supreme power can be defined as legally unlimited, complete and unconditional power in the state. At the beginning of the 21st century, the interest in this category has revived, which resulted, in particular, in the previous concepts becoming relevant again. After having critically analyzed the existing ideas of the Russian researchers on this topic, the author comes to the conclusion that elaboration of the relevant theory of the supreme power that lives up to the modern level of knowledge, requires interdisciplinary approach and combined effort from lawyers, political scientists, historians, and sociologists. Having convincingly demonstrated that today this task is still far from being complete, he focuses on a number of key problems for the development of such a theory and outlines possible directions for finding their solution. According to his conclusion, the category “supreme power” has a significant heuristic potential, and its “return” to political, as well as constitutional and legal, science would enrich their methodological tools. In particular, its application to the analysis of political systems makes it possible to discern behind the facade of the constitutional separation of powers not only who governs (i.e., exercises this or that authority granted by the constitution), but also who rules i.e., has the right to make final decisions on key issues of political life.

Political Science and the Study of Africa

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rod Alence
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Theoretical Orientation ◽  
Ethnic Politics ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Institution Building ◽  
African Politics ◽  
Institutional Failure

Political science contributes a large share of the social research on Africa, and research on Africa has contributed important insights within the discipline of political science. The region contains more than fifty countries, which have exhibited wide variation on “big” issues that motivate political scientists: issues of war and peace, dictatorship and democracy, poverty and development, and sovereignty and interdependence. Major studies of state collapse, ethnic politics, democratization, the political economy of development, and international humanitarian intervention reflect serious engagement with African experiences. The theoretical orientation of much of the field is broadly “institutionalist” in its attention to the organization of political life, informed by two (not necessarily incompatible) “institutionalisms.” One derives from rational-choice political economy and treats institutions as products of and constraints on goal-oriented actors. The other derives from political sociology and treats institutions as social constructions embedded in their cultural settings. Institutions are unusually important in African politics because they are unusually fragile and because the stakes of institution building and institutional failure are unusually high. The methodological orientation of the field is becoming more pluralistic, with studies that employ familiar qualitative methods joined by a growing body of quantitative and mixed-method work. More than ever, a versatile methodological tool kit comes in handy on the research frontier. This article addresses key areas in the study of African politics, including the structural and institutional context of politics (States), political regimes and regime change (Political Trajectories), and social and economic consequences of politics (Politics of Development). Most works cited are by political scientists, with some contributions by others on themes of interest to political scientists.

Parties as Agents of Transition

2019 ◽  
pp. 580-584
Author(s):  
Saara Inkinen
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Party System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Party Strategies ◽  
Collective Actors ◽  
Autocratic Regime ◽  
Autocratic Regimes

This chapter reviews recent political science literature on the role of political parties and party systems in regime transition processes. The first part focuses on parties as collective actors, discussing the effects of different regime and opposition party strategies on the liberalization and breakdown of autocratic regimes. It also notes how such strategies may be shaped by autocratic regime subtypes and the internal organization of political parties. The second part goes on to consider party systems as an institutional arena that constrains party interactions. It examines arguments linking democratization to the institutionalization and type of autocratic party system, with an emphasis on competitive and hegemonic autocratic regimes. Directions for further research are provided in the conclusion.

scholarly journals From Party Systems to Party Organizations: The Adaptation of Latin American Parties to Changing Environments

2009 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Wills-Otero
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Internal Dynamics ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Party Organizations ◽  
Changing Environments ◽  
Different Types

The study of party systems and political parties is one of the largest subfields in political science. Classic studies in advanced democracies focused primarily on party systems and developed theories about the causes and consequences of different types of systems. In recent years, new academic work begun to differentiate parties within systems by understanding their organizational structure, their internal dynamics, the different ways in which they interact with their constituencies, and the strategies that they use to attract voters. Studies show that parties within the same system behave and react differently given their internal conditions. This article reviews three scholarly books that deal with this issue. The works analyze the internal dynamics of Latin American political parties and their capacity to respond and adapt their structures when environmental challenges take place.

Authoritarian and Single-Party Tendencies in African Politics

1963 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin L. Kilson
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political System ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Colonial Period ◽  
Institutional Framework ◽  
African Politics ◽  
Nationalist Movements ◽  
Short Period

With the exception of Libya, Egypt, the Sudanese Republic, and Ethiopia, where no political parties exist, some variation of the single-party political system or a distinctive tendency in that direction may be found in nearly all of the independent African states. That this should have come to pass within the relatively short period of the rise of African states has been a surprise to some observers of African nationalist movements and parties during the colonial period—who were rather sanguine about the prospects of Western-type democracy and party systems in Africa—as well as to the colonial powers themselves (especially Britain and France)—who presumably assumed that their policies of decolonization in Africa were providing the institutional framework within which Western-type party systems and politics would prevail.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TOPIC "POLITICAL PARTIES AND PARTY SYSTEMS" IN THE COURSE OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

2021 ◽  
pp. 18-24
Author(s):  
I. Yu. Zalysin ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Political Science ◽  
Party System ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Course Structure ◽  
Cognitive Difficulties ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Russian Federation

The article is devoted to the methodology of studying the topic "Political parties and party systems" in the process of studying political science. Its place in the course structure, goals and tasks that need to be solved when considering this topic are shown. The emphasis is placed on the most important and most complex concepts that cause cognitive difficulties for students. Recommendations are given for the consideration of such issues as the history of the emergence of political parties, the functions of parties in modern conditions, the types of parties and party systems. Special attention is paid to the study of the features of the party system in Russia, which is of great practical importance, since it is associated with the real political process, the participation of students in elections as voters, etc. Methodological techniques for analyzing party programs, the place of various parties in the political landscape of the Russian Federation are considered.

Parties and Party Systems

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Haegel
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
French Literature ◽  
English Language ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Party Systems ◽  
Empirical Knowledge ◽  
International Work ◽  
Sociocultural Approach ◽  
Alternative Approaches

International work on political parties and party systems is presented first in this chapter, and then the French scholarship which is largely ignored by international party scholars. The analysis argues the gap between the English-language and French literature is actually widening because of the French penchant for the sociocultural approach. It identifies the need for both French and international communities to better connect in order to avoid isolation and fossilization on both sides. While the micro and qualitative French work challenges some of the tenets of international models, like the catch-all model, and presents important empirical knowledge about French political parties at the local level, French scholars should take a broader perspective on political parties by embracing alternative approaches and examining new objects of study outside the purview of the sociocultural paradigm to address the persistent and widening gap between French and international work on party systems and parties.

Prophets of Party in American Political History

The Forum ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-709
Author(s):  
Daniel Schlozman ◽  
Sam Rosenfeld
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Party Politics ◽  
The Body ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Collective Actors ◽  
Do So

Abstract This article pursues a developmental understanding of American parties as autonomous and thick collective actors through a comparison of four key historical actors we term “prophets of party”: partisans of the nineteenth-century Party Period; Progressive reformers; mid-twentieth century liberal Democrats; and activists in and around the body popularly known as the McGovern-Fraser Commission. Leading theories portray political parties as the vehicles either of ambitious politicians or of groups eager to extract benefits from the state. Yet such analyses leave underdetermined the path from such actors’ desires for power to the parties’ wielding of it. That path is mediated by partisan forms and practices that have varied widely across institutional and cultural context. As parties search for electoral majority, they do so in the long shadow of ideas and practices, layered and accreted across time, concerning the role of parties in political life. We analyze four such prophesies, trace their layered contributions to their successors, and reflect on their legacy for contemporary party politics.

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