The Regulation and Funding of Political Parties in Comparative Perspective
The Regulation and Funding of Political Parties in Comparative Perspective
Abstract Submissions Closed
RC18 Political Sociology (host committee)
Language: English
The regulation and funding of political parties have gained room throughout Europe in the recent decades. The introduction of party regulation and funding has generally been interpreted as a measure to enhance the quality of democracy and deter the emergence and consolidation of populist and anti-system parties. This field of study is still in its infancy. Many studies have focused on single or regional cases, but only a few make explicit attempts to formulate specific hypotheses on the existing relationships between party organizational change and state regulation/funding.
This session would favour the development of a comprehensive and widely accepted analytical framework aimed at formulating cross-national generalizations. It welcomes both theoretical and empirical contributions on party regulation/funding, and on the impact of these institutional regimes on party organizational change. Particular attention will be devoted to comparative research designs, as well as crucial case studies, focusing on:
- the prescriptions of regulation and norms on party organizational settings;
- the relevance of direct/indirect public funding on party revenues, compared to private financing (grassroots revenues, interested contributions, etc.);
- party vulnerability to illegal funding;
- the strategic allocation of party resources (party expenses for electoral campaigning, political communication, propaganda, party bureaucracy, etc);
- party attitude to organizational change (statutory modifications, shift of intra-party power, tendency to stratarchical/hierarchical model, etc.).
Session Organizers: