Political Parties

Content

Objective

This course focuses on political parties, which—benefiting from one of the longest-standing traditions of scholarly inquiry—constitute a structuring object in political science. Political parties will be examined within the frameworks of political science theories and methods, both as full-fledged actors of the political system and as “mediators” between the system and citizens. Through their analysis, the course aims to provide a deeper understanding of the functioning of representative regimes. To this end, a comparative perspective will be adopted, with particular attention to recent transformations (populism, crisis of representation, digitalization, etc.).

Course Content

outlining a political sociology of parties, we will first attempt to establish definitions that allow us to situate parties within the political system and present efforts to conceptualize the origins, history, functions, and future of the party phenomenon—an element inseparable from liberal democracy.

Next, we will examine political parties as organizations and present the various typologies developed based on their modes of organization.

We will then offer an analysis of parties based on the logic of their political project and their positioning regarding social and political conflicts, leading to a classification of political families.

Finally, we will analyze party systems which enables to decipher the relationships parties establish with one another and their connections to electoral mechanisms.

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of the semester, students will be able to:

Knowledge:
1) Master the main concepts and typologies related to political parties and party systems.
2) Be familiar with the major theoretical debates on the role of political parties in democracy.
3) Identify recent transformations of party systems at the global level.

Analytical skills:
4) Apply concepts and typologies to contemporary national and comparative case studies.
5) Use databases and digital resources (V-Dem, ParlGov, Manifesto Project) to analyze political parties.
6) Produce comparative analyses combining qualitative and quantitative data.

Transferable skills:
7) Design and present a clear and well-argued academic poster.
8) Work effectively in groups in a collaborative manner, including peer feedback and co-evaluation.
9) Develop structured arguments and engage in informed debate on contemporary political issues.

Teaching and Learning Methods

The course combines lectures, guided readings, case studies, methodological workshops, and interactive activities using digital tools and platforms.

References

OFFERLÉ, Michel, « Qu’est-ce qu’un parti politique ? », Les partis politiques, Paris, PUF, coll. « Que Sais-Je ? », 1997.
SEILER, Daniel-Louis, « À quoi servent les partis politiques ? », Les partis politiques, Paris, Armand Colin, 2000, pp. 26-35.
LAPALOMBARA, Joseph & WEINER, Myron, « The Origin and Development of Political Parties » in J. La Palombara et M. Weiner (dir.), Political Parties and Political Development, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1966, pp. 3-42.
CHARLOT, Jean, « Partis politiques : pour une nouvelle synthèse théorique », in MENY, Yves (dir.), Idéologies, partis politiques et groupes sociaux. Études réunies pour Georges Lavau, Paris, Presses de la FNSP, 1991.
MASSICARD, Élise, « L’étude des partis politiques en Turquie : bilan des travaux et pistes de recherche », Document de travail / prépublication, Juin 2007.
KATZ, Richard S. et MAIR, Peter, « Changing Models of Party Organization and Party Democracy : The Emergence of the Cartel Party », Party Politics, vol. 1, no 5, 1995 (disponible aussi en français).
KATZ, Richard S. et MAIR, Peter, Democracy and the Cartelization of Political Parties, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018.
NEUMANN, Sigmund, « The Party of Democratic Integration », in Peter Mair (ed.) The West European Party System, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1990.
KIRCHHEIMER, Otto, « The Catch-All Party », », in Peter Mair (ed.) The West European Party System, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1990.
WOLINETZ, Steven B., « Beyond the Catch-All Party : Approaches to the Study of Parties and Party Organization in Contemporary Democracies », in Richard Gunther, José Ramón Montero, Juan Linz (eds.), Political Parties : Old Concepts and New Challenges, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2002.
GERBAUDO, Paolo, The Digital Party: Political Organisation and Online Democracy, Pluto Press, London, 2019.
BARBERÀ, Oscar, SANDRI, Giulia, CORREA, Patricia, RODRÍGUEZ-TERUEL, Juan, Digital Parties. The Challenges of Online Organisation and Participation, Springer, 2021.
BRÉCHON, Pierre, « Idéologies et partis politiques », Les partis politiques, Paris, Montchrestien, 1999.
SEILER, Daniel-Louis, « Les clivages partisans : typologies multidimensionnelles », Les partis politiques, Paris, Armand Colin, 2000.
LIPSET, Seymour Martin et ROKKAN, Stein, « Cleavage Structures, Party Systems and Voter Alignments », Party Systems and Voter Alignments : Cross-National Perspectives, The Free Press, 1967.
MARDİN, Şerif, « Center-Periphery Relations : A Key to Turkish Politics ? », Daedalus, Vol. 102, No. 1, Post-Traditional Societies (Winter, 1973), pp. 169-190 (disponible aussi en Turc).
AKGÜN, Birol, « « Aspects of Party System Development in Turkey », Turkish Studies, Vol. 1, Spring 2001.
VANER, Semih, « Système partisan, clivages politiques et classes sociales en Turquie (1960-1981). Questions de méthode et esquisse d’analyse », Cahiers d’études sur la Méditerranée orientale et le monde turco-iranien, n° 1, Novembre 1985.
ÖZBUDUN, Ergun, « Changes and continuities in the Turkish Party System », Representation, vol. 42, no 2, 2006.
ÖZBUDUN, Ergun, « From Political Islam to Conservative Democracy : The Case of the Justice and Development Party in Turkey », South European Society and Politics, vol. 11, no 3-4, 2006.
SAYARI, Sabri, « Towards a New Turkish Party System ? », Turkish Studies, vol. 8, no 2, 2007.
ÇARKOĞLU, Ali, « Turkey’s 2011 General Elections : Towards a Dominant Party System ? », Insight Turkey, vol. 13, no 3, 2011.
SARTORI, Giovanni : deux schémas (Typology of Party Systems & Overall Framework) extraits de Parties and Party Systems : Framework for Analysis, Londres, Cambridge University Press, 1976.
BLONDEL, Jean, « Types of Party System », in Peter Mair (ed.), The West European Party System, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1990.
WOLINETZ, Steven B., « Party Systems and Party System Types », in Richard S. Katz and William Crotty (eds.), Handbook of Party Politics, Sage Publications, 2006.
MAIR, Peter, « Party System Change », in Richard S. Katz and William Crotty (eds.), Handbook of Party Politics, Sage Publications, 2006.
DOWNS, Anthony, « An Economic Theory of Political Action in a Democracy », The Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 65, No. 2. (Apr. 1957), pp. 135-150.
DOWNS, Anthony, An Economic Theory of Democracy, Boston: Addison Wesley, 1957.
LYTVYN, V. S., ROMANYUK, A. S., « Essence and Relevance of “Small” Parties: Problems of Conceptualisation », Politické Vedy. Vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 75-113.
WAGNER, Markus, « Niche parties and political competition », in Neil Carter, Daniel Keith, Gyda M. Sindre and Sofia Vasilopoulou (eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Political Parties, 2023, pp. 221-231.
MAIR, Peter, « Democracy Beyond Parties », Center for the Study of Democracy (University of California, Irvine), 2005.
MAIR, Peter, Ruling the Void: The Hollowing of Western Democracy, London: Verso, 2013.
MARTIN, P. (2018). Crise mondiale et systèmes partisans. Presses de Sciences Po. https://doi.org/10.3917/scpo.marti.2018.01.
POGUNTKE, Thomas and HOFMEISTER, Wilhelm (eds), Political Parties and the Crisis of Democracy: Organization, Resilience, and Reform (Oxford, 2024; online edn, Oxford Academic, 22 Aug. 2024), https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198888734.001.0001

Weekly Contents

Assessment System

Relation of Proficiency

ECTS