Political Parties: Old Concepts and New Challenges 3500-CPS-PPOL-OG

The diagnosis of the current condition of political parties ranges from a complete crisis, collapse (three "ds" or party decay, decline, and decomposition) to duration, and even rebirth (three "rs", or party re-emergence , revitalization, and resurgence). The lecture is to help the students to develop their own, theoretically and empirically justified, diagnosis of the situation of political parties in contemporary (different) democratic systems. It will be devoted to the theoretical and research problems of political parties – one of the most important institutions of democratic systems. The lecture consists of four "unequal" parts and a short summary.
1. The introductory part, introducing the issues of political parties, will be devoted to
(a) the democratic system as the context of political parties and different understandings of democracy (historically: Joseph Schumpeter - Robert Dahl - Larry Diamond; today: different types of democracy) and
(b) defining political parties by their characteristics and / or functions (which will be exemplified by the proposals of Richard Gunther and Larry Diamond, and Paul Lewis). The features of the parties and their functions were already characterized by Max Weber. Since then, various types of parties have been distinguished and studied: elite and mass parties, catch-all parties, left-libertarian, party cartel ...) and various types of party systems: two-party, but also one-party systems and various multi-party systems.
2. The second part of the lecture will be devoted to the presentation of theoretical approaches to the issues of political parties, especially three of them:
(a) the classical sociological-structural approach (Seymour Lipset & Stein Rokkan);
(b) the sociological and ideological approach in two versions: left-right and party families;
(c) differentiated institutional approach - electoral systems will be discussed under this approach.
3. The third part of the lecture will be devoted to research issues and empirical research of political parties. The following issues will be presented:
(a) Stability and change of political parties and party systems.
(b) Political parties as complex research objects: levels of functioning (from local to international; here the level of party leadership) and "wings"
(c) Political parties in the election process: selection of candidates - election campaigns - parties in parliament and government.
(d) Symptoms of the crisis of political parties.
4. The fourth part of the lecture will be devoted to the specificity of parties in post-communist countries.
(a) We begin by discussing the parties and party systems in communist countries.
(b) Then - the communist parties and the transition to democracy.
(c) Peter Mir's concept of the formation of political parties in post-communist countries will be presented and (d) the specificity of political parties in post-communist countries.
5. The lecture will end with an attempt to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of political parties as institutions of modern democracies.

Type of course

general courses

Mode

Remote learning

Learning outcomes

K_W01 knows and understands the basic concepts of the sociology of politics
K_W02 is aware of the existence of theoretical and methodological disputes conducted in contemporary sociology, is reflective and critical towards various positions
K_W03 has in-depth knowledge of political parties and their relations with the social environment
K_W04 is reflective and critical towards the problem of social differentiation and social inequalities
K_W06 has in-depth knowledge of the importance of cultural diversity and its transformations, cultural identity and communication for political parties
K_W10 has in-depth knowledge of the most important international and national sociological research relating to the area of political parties
K_W11 has in-depth knowledge of the norms and rules that organize social structures and institutions
K_W12 has in-depth knowledge of the functioning and management of political parties K_W14 has in-depth knowledge of the assumptions and theorems of selected historical and contemporary sociological theories
K_U08 can interpret the role of culture in the functioning of political parties
K_K09 is open to various theoretical and methodological perspectives of social research

Assessment criteria

Written exam or - upon agreement - written work, presentation.
Up to 3 absences are allowed.

Bibliography

Note: literature may be slightly changed
▪ Antoszewski A., R. Herbut (red.), Demokracje Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej w perspektywie porównawczej. Wrocław: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Wrocławskiego 1997
▪ Dalton R. and M. Wattenberg (eds), Parties without Partisans. Political Change in Advanced Industrial Democracies. Oxford University Press 2002
▪ Diamond L. and R. Gunther, Political Parties and Democracy. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press 2001
▪ Grabowska M., T. Szawiel, Budowanie demokracji. Podziały społeczne, partie polityczne i społeczeństwo obywatelskie w postkomunistycznej Polsce. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN 2003 (2001)
▪ Grabowska M., T. Szawiel. (red.), Korzenie demokracji. Partie polityczne w środowisku lokalnym. Warszawa: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN, 2000
▪ Grabowska M., Podział postkomunistyczny. Społeczne podstawy polityki w Polsce po 1989 roku. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar 2004
▪ Gunter R., J. Montero and J. Linz (eds), Political Parties. Old Concepts and New Challenges. Oxford University Press 2002
▪ Holmes L., Post-Communism. An Introduction. Cambridge: Polity Press 1997
▪ Huntington S., Trzecia fala demokratyzacji. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN 1995
▪ LeDuc L., R. G. Niemi, P. Norris (eds), Comparing Democracies. Elections and Voting in Global Perspective. Thousand Oaks-London-New Delhi: SAGE Publications 1996
▪ Lewis P., Political Parties in Post-Communist Eastern Europe. London and New York: Routledge 2000
▪ Lipset S.M. & S. Rokkan, Osie podziałów, systemy partyjne oraz afiliacje wyborców. W: J. Szczupaczyński (ed.), Władza i społeczeństwo. Antologia tekstów z zakresu socjologii polityki. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe SCHOLAR, 1995
▪ Mair P., Party System Change. Approaches and Interpretations. Oxford University Press, 1997
▪ Mair P., W. Müller and F. Plasser, Political Parties and Electoral Change. SAGE Publications 2004
▪ Nalewajko E., Protopartie i protosystem? Szkic do obrazu polskiej wielopartyjności. Warszawa: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN, 1997
▪ Raciborski J., Polskie wybory. Zachowania wyborcze społeczeństwa polskiego 1989-1995. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe SCHOLAR 1997
▪ Raciborski J. (red.), Elity rządowe III RP 1997-2004. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Trio 2006
▪ Sobolewska-Myślik K., Partie i systemy partyjne na świecie. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN 2004
▪ Szawiel T., Zróżnicowanie lewicowo-prawicowe i jego korelaty. W: Markowski R. (red.), Wybory parlamentarne 1997. System partyjny - postawy polityczne - zachowania wyborcze. Warszawa: Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN, Fundacja im. Friedricha Eberta 1999
▪ Szawiel T., Podział na lewicę i prawicę w Polsce po 1989 roku – jego sens i trwałość. W: Markowski R. (red.), System partyjny i zachowania wyborcze. Dekada polskich doświadczeń. Warszawa: ISP PAN, Fundacja im. Friedricha Eberta, 2002
▪ Trutkowski C., S. Mandes, Kapitał społeczny w małych miastach. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe SCHOLAR 2005, s. 81-175, 204-222, 223-257.
▪ Ware A., Political Parties and Party Systems. Oxford University Press 2000
▪ Webb P., D. Farrell and Ian Holiday (eds), Political Parties in Advanced Industrial Democracies. Oxford University Press 2002 Holmes L., Post-Communism. An Introduction. Cambridge: Polity Press 1997

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

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