POLS 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Military Intelligence, Liberal Democracy
Document Summary
Chapter 7: political parties: the concept of political parties, membership in american political parties. Party in the electorate: ordinary citizens who identify with the party. Party in government: elected and appointed officeholders at the national, state, and local levels. Party organization: professional party officials, including those who hold a party office, incentives for associating with political parties and party activists. The general incentives are similar to those described for interest groups: material benefits, solidary benefits, and purposive benefits. Two types of party activists: party professionals. Incentives for participating are primarily material and social in nature: ex: tangible rewards, such as jobs and contracts, policy-motivated activists. Incentives are primarily purposive and social: less concerned with using political parties to further their own interests; instead, they use parties to help groups in society in general, ex: believers on banning abortion or protecting the environment.
