Political Parties and Party Systems

by Ware, Alan

• ISBN13: 9780198780779
• ISBN10: 019878077X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-11-09
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This work is an introduction to the study of political parties and party systems. It focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on liberal democracies through a comparative approach. The aim of Political Parties and Party Systems is to explain to students of politics how and why parties and party systems differ from one country to another. However, it also seeks to provide a more detailed understanding of party politics in five particular countries. Most of the chapters are divided into two sections. First, general themes and arguments about a topic are introduced, and examples from a large number of countries are discussed in relation to that topic. Then, particular attention is paid to five of the largest liberal democracies--Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States.

Author Biography

Alan Ware is Fellow and Tutor in Politics, Worcester College, Oxford.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
List of Tables
Abbreviations
About This Book
Introduction	p. 1
Parties and Ideology	p. 17
Supporters, Members, and Activists	p. 63
Party Organizations	p. 93
Parties in Non-Liberal-Democratic Regimes	p. 124
The Classification of Party Systems	p. 147
Why Party Systems Differ	p. 184
Stability and Change in Party Systems	p. 213
Party Systems in Non-Liberal-Democratic Regimes	p. 245
The Selection of Candidates and Leaders	p. 257
Campaigning for Election	p. 289
Voter Choice and Government Formation	p. 317
Parties in Government	p. 349
Conclusions	p. 377
App. 1. France	p. 383
App. 2. Germany	p. 388
App. 3. Great Britain	p. 391
App. 4. Japan	p. 395
App. 5. United States	p. 398
Notes	p. 404
Index	p. 417
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