The Influence of the Type of Dominant Party on Democracy

Angebote / Angebote:

Dominant parties and democracies – are they really strange bedfellows? Malte Kaßner sheds light on the relation between one-party dominance and democracy from a comparative perspective. The study examines the key question how different types of dominant parties influence democracy in multicultural societies with the help of two case studies: South Africa and Malaysia. Both countries are characterized by an ethnically, linguistically and religiously plural society. The author analyses the two dominant parties African National Congress (ANC) and United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and their implications on democracy in the two countries. The outcome suggests that one-party dominance per se cannot be assessed as beneficial or harmful for democratic development. Rather, dominant parties deserve a stronger analytical differentiation. Causal patterns contribute to such a differentiation. ContentsDifferent types of dominant parties Organization of dominant partiesCharacter and impacts of ideological conceptsBehavioural norms of dominant partiesEffects on the type of democracyTarget groupsResearchers and students in political scienceStrategists of political partiesPolitical analysts and commentators  AuthorMalte Kaßner is freelance coach and consultant for development co-operations worldwide.