Representation and party politics is one of the core themes of the comparatvie study of politics. What function do parties serve? What is the essential relationship between people and parties? Are parties simply a way of reproducing a political elite that rules and governs? These are some of the questions Graham asks in his analysis of our understandings of political parties, their internal structures and external realtions. While surveying a rich literature on parties and party systems, emphasizing the continuing relevance of earlier writings, the author sets out the main problems that should be addressed in the study of political parties. We are then lucidly led through a range of empirical cases illustrating party performance in relation to electoral behaviour, and introduced to a range of theoretically--driven models of performance, behaviour and recruitment. The book culminates in a superb discussion of factionalism within parties, and an epxloration of populism in mass politics. Grahama s challenging work introduces and reveals aspects of party dynamics and representation which are essential to students of politics and political scientists alike.

Book Information
ISBN 9780631173960
Author B. D. Graham
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Blackwell Publishers
Publisher John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Weight(grams) 426g