Party Organizations
There are three key characteristics of party organizations that can vary across party systems:
Centralization
Extent to which the party is run from the top down
Highly centralized - Israel
Highly decentralized - United States
Party Responsibility
Extent to which the party in power can enact its agenda
Influenced by:
Party discipline
Governmental structure
Financing
Where does its funding come from?
Member dues
External fundraising
Transparency in fundraising
Duverger's Typology of Parties
Mass
Attempts to gain as many adherents as possible
Formal party membership, funded (at least partially) by dues
Example: Germany's Social Democratic Party [SPD]
Cadre
Run by a small core group of activists
External fundraising
Examples - U.S. Democratic and Republican parties
Devotee
Based on a single personality
Difficulty surviving beyond its founder's involvement
Examples
Hitler's Nazi Party
Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party
