Political Culture - Parties and Governance - Literature review Example

Political Parties and Governance. Political Culture Political groups Political groups form the central s of modern politics and democracy whether they are in power due to free and fair election or not. Party leaders who are recognized in most states always govern the parties, and it is unlikely that social movements and governance network can replace political parties’ many roles. In the modern political settings, political parties are ubiquitous, and the definition of parties is contentious (Richard 200-213). The definition of political parties focus on the methods and the objectives of the party and emphasizing their roles in political competition, reflect value-laden assumptions about the proper functioning of politics. Thus, political party can be defined as a body of people united with the aim of advancing the common interest that serves their purpose (Richard 200-213). In American perspective, a political party tends to be a group of more or less formation. The party seeks offices or power in government, exhibit an organization or structure, which links leaders at the center of government to a significant popular following in the political arena and its local enclaves and generates in-group perspective or at least as symbols of identification or loyalty. Some political parties originated within parliamentary setting while others originated from outside parliament with the aim of getting into power. The consequential power related to parties often favor leaders in high public offices and is analogous to those that started the party. Political parties are core to important roles related to the modern democracies, these include; coordination within government (Richard 200-213). The coordination within government takes place in several venues. Most obviously, the coordination function is demonstrated in party groups and clubs in parliament through their leaders and whips who are in charge of maintaining discipline and communication within the party’s parliamentary membership and policy committees. Parliamentary party groups play significant roles. They play a role in getting committee members and laying agenda of the parliament (Richard 200-213). Political parties also participate in the electoral process campaigns and structuring competition via producing candidates and relating some candidates to familiar symbols and histories. They also develop policy programs and recruit and coordinate campaigns through which they get a chance to promote their policies concerning pressing issues in the public domain (Richard 200-213). Political parties participate in selection and recruitment of personnel where they select candidates for election, recruit and select people for appointed parties. They also recruit political activist for a democratic society (Richard 200-213). Political parties represent the public as well by speaking for their supporters and members within and in front of government organizations. It also acts as a representation. This is because it organizes various issues concerning citizens (Richard 200-213). Political parties play central in the democratic governance since they are representations for people through which they the freely and fairly vote, air their opinion and participate in parliamentary governance by making laws. Interest groups Interest groups according to Bentley (1908) is an association that makes claims to other groups in the society. However, it has been opposed by modern scholars, and they have defined interest groups as membership organizations that appeal to the government but unlike political parties, interest groups do not participate in the election (Roland 238-249). Political parties and interest groups are very different in North America but is more or less the same in other parts of the world interest group groups plays significant but differentiated roles in the democratic governance across space and time. The pluralist theorist have viewed interest groups as essential associations that offer source of liberty although this view relies on two debatable assumptions that all the members in the association enjoy the same capacity to associate and that interest groups are equally distributed across political band to enable the it facilitate modern democracy (Roland 238-249). Interest groups play central in democratic governance because they have the capacity to conclude political exchange with the government. This is because they are considered organizations that enjoy a high degree of autonomy vis-à-vis the political system such as trade unions and business community association (Roland 238-249). The interest groups have the capacity to involve in contentious politics available to organizations with high capacity to engage in collective actions in social movement organizations and trade union. These groups have members from the general public who acts as a representation of the society and air their views through the relevant government authority (Roland 238-249). The interest groups also participate in lobbying for the public opinion regarding certain government policies which are not favorable and the ones that should be changed in order to accommodate all people in the society. The issues to be lobbied for could be high taxes and tariffs, health care insurance policy and laws limiting abortion especially from religious interest groups (Roland 238-249). In additional to direct lobbying, interest groups also influence political powers through political exchange. The groups that that operate the economic sectors such as business organizations and trade unions conclude political exchanges with political leaders. Administrations have always exchanged goods with employees and unions in exchange for social consent. In this situation, political exchange power is paradoxically related to the partial repudiation of the economic supremacy such as the power to withdraw labor or capital from the production process (Roland 238-249). In the democratic governance arena, interest groups play a critical role by engaging in contentious politics or outside lobbying. Although several businesses organization do not see the necessity of engaging in contentious collective actions like public demonstration and lockouts, industrial strikes are the constitutive authority of labor. Although several business groups argues that, strikes are not the solution; it becomes the last resort to reminding government and corporations of labor’s cost for cooperation (Roland 238-249). The government can integrate the interest groups. This is to form private interest government for government could delegate its authority to in order to make a binding decision with the interest group. The supremacy of the interest groups relies on their ability to influence the strategy making capability of the political system (Roland 238-249). Thus, powerful interest groups not only engage in direct lobbying but also forces the state by other means especially actions in the economic sector like worker’s industrial action and business relocation among others. Social movements Social movement can be defined as a group of people involved in a conflict with clearly identified opponents (Hanspeter 268-281). The idea of social movement comprises three elements which includes; (1) a collective identity and a set of common goals and beliefs, (2) a group of people with conflictual orientation towards an opponent, and (3) a repertoire of collective actions. The boundaries of social movements are inherently unstable, disputed and ultimately dependent on mutual agreement by the members if the group involved. The people in the movement should somehow be connected to one another by a common bond and share a joint goal. The conflict being fought by social movements can be either cultural, political or both. Social movement groups engage in a continued sequence of non-institutionalized cooperative action since they often lack regular access to the decision making process in state administrations and parliament (Hanspeter 268-281). Social movement contributes to democratic governance through resource mobilization. The group through solidarity, organization, and external support are the chief resources for social movements. They involve in civil unrest to protest against policies they consider bad for the society (Keneth 198-223). Social movements have contributed greatly toward democratic governance. The emergence of social movements or radical transformations like revolutions can be illustrated by the combination of structural preconditions and contingent situations such as precipitating factors, suddenly imposed grievances, and exogenous shocks. Social movements have in the past pressurized governments to abolish unfavorable policies affective certain quotas of the society (Keneth 198-223). Works Cited Hanspeter, Kriesi, Social movements Chapter 16. 268-281. Carmani. Keneth, Pressure groups and social movements. Chapter 10 Kenneth. 198-223. Richard S. Katz. Political parties. Chapter 12 Carmani. 200-213. Roland Erne Interest Groups.Chapter 14 Carmani. 238-249. Carmani Retrieved from Read More