...Q) Discuss the role of political parties in contemporary democracies. Assess whether parties have retained their position or are in a decline or ascent? Consider arguments both in favour and against your judgment. A) In the twenty-first century, the term democracy doesn't just bring to mind the idea of people power; instead it prompts the idea of the existence of several political parties. The changing face of democracy has much to owe to the evolution of the political party system in the world today. Political parties seem to have become an engraved concept of democracy nowadays because of the significant role they play in the prevalent democratic systems. On face value a political party is a group of individuals representing certain views and attempting to gain power through the process of elections and translating these views into policies. However, they have several purposes, that upon being fulfilled act like building blocks to form the wall of democracy as we know it today. These include, but are not limited to, the formation of a government, representation of populist ideas, provision of a political platform for individuals, and the setting of goals for society which of course are coherent with what the masses desire. Moreover parties may also represent a certain faction of society which could be ethnic, religious or a certain class, much like interest groups do. These purposes of political parties are parallel to the essential principles of democracy, hence playing...
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...reconfigure power and varies political reforms. The first theoretical essay is written by Crawford Young on the Third Wave of Democratization in Africa. Young is a Political Scientist, who received a PhD from Harvard and he specializes in development and politics in developing countries, particularly Africa. His works are “The Politics of Cultural Pluralism” , “Ideology and Development in Africa” , and “The Rise and Decline of the Zairian State”. In his essay, Young offers insight on Africa's experimentation on political liberalization. Young starts off by talking about the “third wave” of democratization which hit Africa in 1989 which was seen as a global dynamic. Factors such as modernization, diffusion and power politics helped shaped this transition. In Africa there were deeper structural factors which started first with the economical field. “In dramatic contrast to the aggressive assertion of economic nationalism in the 1970s, a decade peppered with sweeping indigenization programs and widespread nationalism, the 1980 Organization of African Unity Lagos Plan of Action, and the blistering critique of African development performance in the World Bank's 1981 Berg Report”(p.21). At the same time it caused a widespread debt crisis, which in term put the African states on the defensive end against public and private international investors. In the beginning of the 1989, thirty-eight out of forty-five African countries were under military/one-party regime, but 2 years later...
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...to Politics and Law Major Assignment Essay: Worth 25% Due: Thursday November 3 at 5pm Choose ONE question 1. Compare and contrast the ideology of the Australian Labor Party with the ideology of the Australian Liberal Party. OR 2. “The Liberal Party is a conservative party and the Labor Party is a progressive Party.” Discuss critically OR 3. “The philosophies and policies of the Liberal and Labor parties have had to change for them to survive.” Discuss critically Length 500-700 words The objective of this assessment This assessment requires you to write an essay on Australian political parties based primarily on Willmot and Dowse’s chapter on pages 181 to 206 of the Course Reader. You can also read Dean Jaensch’s chapter (attached) and other sources, such as those referred to in lectures. You may wish to find books in the Reid Library (3rd floor) on your question. See me by October 24 to discuss how your research and writing is progressing. With this essay you should write critically and analytically, rather than descriptively. If you are claiming, for example, that the Liberal party is a conservative party, you will need to support your argument with evidence and your points must be properly referenced. Your essay will need to have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. The grade you receive will depend on how much effort you have put into researching and writing your essay. Essays written the night before they are due usually...
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...The Development of Political Party Models in Western Europe: Katz and Mair’s Approach to Modern Party Organization Introduction In recent years more than ever, it has become clear that European party systems and European politics itself are characterized by an extensive change. With the economical, cultural and social changes in most of the countries and with the rapid expansion of the European Union, parties face a big number of alterations according to which they have to adjust their focuses and structures. The long term consequences of these changes are varied; some parties quickly emerge, others suddenly decline, the level of volatility is rising and it is evident that generally the vulnerability of political parties is constantly growing. The changes also shape the electorate’s behaviour as is demonstrated by the falling levels of party identification since the 1990s. The increasing number of effects of socio-economic, cultural and technological developments appear to have eroded the once steady cleavage structures in most European societies, on which voting loyalties were based and not only reformed the structures of political parties but also redefined the relationship between them, the states and societies (Mair&Smith:1990:1). This change has resulted in the demand for attention in recent years to be turned towards the research of political party organization and the study of different party models both with regard to the theoretical importance of them and...
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...Indigenous Policy Journal Vol. XX, No. 3 (Fall 2009) Book Review Essay Reviewed texts: The Politics of Minor Concerns: American Indian Policy and Congressional Dynamics, by Charles Turner. University Press of America, 2005. Taking Charge: Native American Self-Determination and Federal Indian Policy, 1975-1993. George Pierre Castile. University of Arizona Press, 2006. Why has there been so little social science research trying to explain recent changes in Federal Indian policy, particularly given the dramatic shifts of the last 40 years? Since 1970 the previous policy of termination gave way to an evolving selfdetermination policy, a dramatically expanded role for tribal governments, and the emergence of large scale Indian gaming. Even with these striking changes - and the expansion of Indian affairs as a policy area – there have been only a handful of social science analyses of the Indian policy domain (most notably Gross 1989). Much recent scholarship in the area has been primarily descriptive or interpretive (Castile 1992, Bee 1992), with research commonly driven by area expertise rather than guided by policy related theory. In his nuanced and theoretically-driven account, Charles Turner argues that Indian policy, like many other areas, is a "minor concern" to both policymakers and policy analysts. As such, Indian policy often doesn't fit the conditions or provide the variables featured by main theoretical approaches to explaining policy outcomes more generally. Unlike...
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...be understood? 4 What is employment relationship? 4 Elements of employment relationship 4 What is individual contract of employment and how it works? 5 Duties of employer and employees 6 What is psychological contract? 6 Socio-political dimension of the employment relationship 8 Conclusions 9 References 10 Introduction What will be covered in this essay? This essay will reflect on what is employment relationship in HRM. What is the purpose in applying of HRM practices, why it is so important to manage people, their performance and expectations. How we can “ensure that individual have the ability, motivation and opportunity to perform effectively” (Wilton, 2013). This course-work will look closer what is an employment relationship, how it affects individuals in the workplace and company in total. It will also cover the elements of employment relationship, terms and conditions that affect both employer and employee, what are duties both parties need to comply. It will be explained what is contract of employment and psychological contract and why it affect individual attitude. After that, the three key perspectives are outlined on employment that are unitarism, pluralism and radical(Marxist). Each approach to employment relationships is different in the ideology, who holds real power, how conflicts are resolved, decisions are made and how trade unions can influence the organisation. How can HRM be understood? HRM plays significant role in the way how people...
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...interview was to examine the role of media in the electoral process, or during elections to be precise. The activities of the media are various, so this perhaps was just by noting and classifying some of the things the media do in elections. The interview was quite entertaining and there were no conflicting views or controversial opinions. The interview was conducted via cell phone while the interviewee was in the comfort of her home. This set a casual and comfortable tone for the interview. The topic for the essay which stood out after the interview was “ELECTIONS AND THE NEWS MEDIA.” Below is a summary of the interview: What is Media? Most journalists define media as a channel of communication through which news, entertainment, education, data or promotional messages are disseminated. Broadcasting, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, billboards, telephone, fax and internet are all considered media. Who are the News Media? News media are those elements of the mass media. Generally focus on delivering news to the public or target public. Print media such as newspapers and news magazines are part of news media. Broadcast news such as radio and television, Internet such as online newspapers and news blogs are all news media. So what is a newsreel? (follow-up question) Newsreel was a documentary film common in the first half of the 20th Century. This released a public presentation place containing filmed news stories on a regular basis. What then is online journalism?...
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...Essay Questions (Ch 9) 1. Identify and briefly discuss the four distinguishing characteristics of a mature (well-functioning) group. The distinguishing characteristics includes (1) a clear purpose and mission, (2) well-understood norms and standards of conduct (3) a high level of group cohesion (4) a flexible status structure. Stating the purpose in terms specific goals enhances productivity over and above any performance benefits achieved through individual goal setting. Behavioral norms for high performance and productivity set above organizational norms characterizes high performing work groups. Smaller groups tend to be more cohesive than large groups, and cohesion based on attraction results in effective control over members with respect to important performance norms. Successful resolution of authority issues within a group result in a well understood status structure. This contributes to group functioning. 2. Describe the five stages of Tuckman's Group Development Process. What individual and group issues are addressed in each stage? Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning Individual How do I What's my What do the How can I Whta's issues fit in? role here? Others expect best perform next? ...
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...democratic,parliamentary system of Government modelled after that of the United Kingdom system , as used in the Palace of Westminster (the Parliament of the United Kingdom).This system is a series of procedures for operating a legislature.It is used in most commonwealth nations.Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It can be classified as grand,petty and political,depending on the on the amount of money, lost and the sector where it occurs.According to Arnold Heidenheimer corruption is "perversion or destruction of integrity in the discharge of public duties by bribery or favour".I think it is safe to say that corruption and the Westminster system go hand in hand, the Westminster system has an inbuilt lack of checks and balances,this system is also based on majority rule, which is the rule of first pass the post method of election.In Trinidad and Tobago the use of ones office as a bargaining tool is becoming more apparent each day,we have the Housing Development Cooperation (HDC),this ministry seems to be a strong hold for corruption and it has nothing to do with the ruling party because the opposition is...
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...elections the Conservative Party gained the most votes but not the majority to form a government, therefore a coalition was formed between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats Party. I will be discussing two short term factors and two long term factors in my essay. The short term factors which I will be discussing are; the influence of the media and the election campaigns. The long term factors I will be discussing are; social class and the location of where the person lives. I believe that the influence on the media is the most important factor because the media influence so much of our lives nowadays and it is so easy to access all parts of the media through our phone. Therefore when a major newspaper is bias towards one they get more media coverage and the therefore it sways people’s opinions as all the positives about that political party are shown. Firstly, the influence of the media. The media nowadays comes in all different forms for example; newspapers, magazines, television and radio. The media is where people can form their opinions on the ability of political leaders and whether the government is doing a good job or not. The media determines what people see and what people hear, if they want to cover something up then they have the ability to do so as they decide what goes in to the public eye. In the dominant ideology model of voting behaviour its argued that the mass media has traditionally been supportive of the conservative party opinion and due to this...
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...2012 U.S. Presidential Electoral Performance Review In Barack Obama’s passionate acceptance speech for president on Nov 5th, the fierce political campaigns between him and Mitt Romney came to an end. From making speeches through television to shaking hands with potential voters, from preparing debate questions to interacting with journalists, both the incumbent president from the Democratic Party and the nominee from the Republican Party have made great efforts to present themselves as the potential president for audiences. This essay will analyze their political performances by looking at the actor(s) in this campaign, collective representation, means of symbolic production, mise en scene, social power and the role of audiences and media based on Alexander’s work on cultural pragmatics. Their performances (especially Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s performances) between the first presidential political debate on Oct 2nd and the “Big Day” on Nov 5th will be reviewed. Undoubtedly, the actors in this political campaign are Democratic Party candidate Obama and Republican Party candidate Romney. Barack Obama as an incumbent president who won the 2008 election with his slogan called “Changes we can believe in”, however, he only faces “things can be worse” by now. For him, in all the three debates, he always tried to demonstrate that he had made great efforts in the past four years, his efforts can sustain in his second term and things will get better but they also take time...
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...Political Studies (1998), XLVI, 572±588 Parties, Party Systems, and Satisfaction with Democratic Performance in The New Europe CHRISTOPHER J. ANDERSON1 Introduction Political parties and the party systems they form constitute the major channels of interest aggregation and citizen input in contemporary democracies. They are the vehicles through which political elites supply policy alternatives, and they constitute the major route for citizens to organize the demand for such alternatives.2 Parties also play a crucial role in the nature of democratic governance because they help legitimize the state. After all, free and fair elections in which parties compete for oce are a prime criterion for whether a system should be considered a democracy in the ®rst place. Outside of elections, political parties also have long been the most important mediating institutions between citizens and the state, in particular as parties have taken on the roles as simultaneous agents both of the state and its citizens.3 While virtually all democracies have political parties that compete for oce, political systems dier in a number of important ways with regard to how they go about channeling inputs or providing policy alternatives, and with regard to the roles they assign parties in this process. Moreover, and perhaps most importantly, the ways in which political institutions condition the formation, functioning, and development of political parties and party systems varies as ...
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...In any political system are structures that have different functions to ensure an effective and smooth running of things in that particular political system. This is why this essay will discuss the problems faced by opposition political parties in Zambia using the structural functionalist theory. First it will explain what structural functionalism is, then it will define structures, functions, a political party and an opposition party then before giving the conclusion it will discuss the problems faced by opposition parties in Zambia. Johari (2011) defines structural functionalism as a means of explaining what political structures perform what basic functions in a political system, it is a tool of investigation. Macions and Gerber (2010:14) states “this approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole and by this society evolves like organisms”. According to Johari (2011:73) “functions deal with the consequences involving objectives as well as processes of the patterns of action, Structures refer to those arrangements within the system which perform the functions. For example the police are a structure within the political system that have a function of maintaining peace and order. “In the concept of functions, three basic questions are involved- what basic functions are discharged in any given system, by what instruments those functions are performed and under what conditions the performance...
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...the growing role of private military companies (PMCs) for governing global politics Introduction The focus of the investigation, the findings of which are presented in this essay, was on the implications for the governance of global politics of the growing role of private military companies (PMCs). PMCs are different from traditional military contractors, which more often than not are referred to as defense contractors. Traditional military (or defense) contractors manufacture the weapons of war, provide the supplies that are required by armed forces, or perform other services that do not directly involve their personnel in combatant roles. Private military companies, in contrast to traditional military contractors provide both direct military services and security services. PMC personnel are directly involved in combatant roles when the contract provides for the delivery of military capacities. PMC personnel may be directly involved in combatant roles when the contract provides for the delivery of security services. PMC personnel providing security services must be prepared to engage in combatant roles; however, much of their duties will be as guards to prevent breeches of security. In the investigation, the results of which are presented in this study, the implications of the growing role of PMCs on the governance of global politics considers the effects of PMCs in both their military roles and their security roles. While the direct combatant roles performed by...
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...Western Alienation Western alienation is defined as a “political ideology” or regional discontent, this is rooted with the dissatisfaction of western provinces in the federal government by representation. This essay will examine the causes of western alienation in Canada by examining 3 main causes: Inter-state federalism, the senate and the importance of Quebec emerging in late 1900's. Governments in Canada have developed relations between themselves, involving government and legislation. Inter government relations resemble international diplomacy( meetings with prime minister, provincial premiers, staff and flags). Conducted by government and politicians who have to be sure of the fact that what they do in inter government relations is public and people are watching them. Proponents of the western alienation may suggest that complaints in western Canada most often have to do with matters falling within the jurisdiction of the federal government, such as trade policy, tariffs, equalization procedures, and various aspects of fiscal arrangements pertaining to federal social program investment and expenditure. The West wants fair rules and regulations regarding these matters of federal concern. Thus, this desire should not be correlated with the demand for more provincial powers or jurisdiction. The most popular form of representation in the house of commons is the senate, in Canada the senate is appointed by the Prime Minister. Although the senate in Canada does not represent...
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