Politics and Parties

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Politics and Parties
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Me ?

• Dr. Casey Dominguez
• Office 254 IPJ
• Office Hours 1 hour after class
• MWF 1105-1205
• also TuTh 1040-1140
• Email caseydominguez_at_sandiego.edu
• Website http//home.sandiego.edu/caseydominguez/
  parties.html
• E-Reserve Password POLS313

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Policies

• Tardiness Its rude. I notice. I do not repeat
  information.
• Late papers 1/3 grade for every day late
• Cheating I will report you to the Dean for even
  a minor infraction.
• All papers must be uploaded to turnitin.com.

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Politics and Parties
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Politics and PartiesParties and Interest Groups
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What is a political party?

• A party is a body of men united, for promoting
  by their joint endeavors the national interest,
  upon some particular principle in which they are
  all agreed.
• Edmund Burke, 1770

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What is a political party?

• A coalition of men seeking to control the
  governing apparatus by legal means.
• Anthony Downs, 1957

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What is a political party?

• A coalition of elites to capture and use
  political officebutmore than a coalitionan
  institutionalized coalition, one that has adopted
  rules, norms, and procedures.
• John Aldrich, 1995

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What is a political party?

• A durable social formation which seeks offices
  or power in government, exhibits a
  structurewhich links leaders at the centers of
  government to a significant popular following in
  the political arena and its local enclaves, and
  generates in-group perspectives or at least
  symbols of identification or loyalty.
• William Nisbet Chambers (1967)

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What is a political party?

• It aims to promote certain policies
• It inspires loyalty among voters who agree with
  those policies
• It works to gain power in government
• By nominating and fighting for the election of
  candidates
• It is an organization with rules
• It also organizes coalitions within government,
  simplifying policymaking

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3 ways to think about party

• Party as organization
• Party in the electorate (and in elections)
• Party in government

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What is an interest group?

• A group in society
• That tries to influence government
• That is not a part of the government
• That may or may not have a membership base
• That does NOT run candidates for office

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Syllabus Organization

• Why are we conflicted about the merits of parties
  and interest groups?
• How do interest groups and parties overcome
  organizational challenges?
• How do interest groups and parties relate to the
  public at large?
• How do interest groups and parties participate in
  elections?
• How do interest groups and parties participate in
  the governing process?

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Assignments

• 25 Participant observation paper, including
  outlines and drafts
• 25 Analytical essay (with research component),
  including outlines and drafts
• 25 Final Exam
• NO MIDTERM
• 10 Pop reading quizzes
• 5 Oral Presentation
• 5 Peer editing
• 5 Class participation and prompt attendance

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Paper 1

• Participant observation
• Attend a meeting of a political party, or a group
  that has some political goals, either on campus
  or in the community. (Since many groups only have
  meetings once a month, or less often, you will
  need to choose this group and ask permission to
  attend the meeting ASAP).

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Paper 1

• Observe how the group is run, the demographic
  characteristics of the members or attendees, and
  the substance of the discussion. What do you
  observe the groups goals to be? What do you
  think are the biggest obstacles to their success
  in achieving those goals? Are they aware of those
  obstacles? What could they do to overcome them?

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Paper 1

• At the meeting or elsewhere, interview the
  groups leader and at least two other members of
  the group. Ask them how they, personally, got
  involved with the group, how much of their time
  it takes, and why they choose to participate.
  Also ask them what the groups short and long
  term goals are, what resources they need to
  achieve those goals, and how they will get those
  resources.

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Paper 1

• Write an 8-10 page essay that MAKES AN ARGUMENT
  in answer to the following questions, relating
  your observations substantively to the material
  weve discussed in class
• What are the prospects for this group achieving
  its political goals?
• How does it deal with the collective action
  problems it faces?
• If you were the leader of the group, would you do
  anything differently to achieve your groups
  goals?

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Paper 2

• A choice
• An analysis of one way in which interest groups
  or parties fail to serve democracy, with
  explanations for why this situation exists, and
  arguments for how to improve it.
• Research about a public policy issue, and the
  ways that interest groups and parties approach it
  and deal with it. Analyze the ways in which the
  public good about this issue is achieved or not,
  with a focus on the role that interest groups and
  parties play in that process.