TYPES OF PARTIES

ELITE PARTIES
LOCAL NOTABLES

CLIENTELISTIC

MAS-BASED
Ideologically based,
pluralist:
CLASS-MASS

NATIONALIST

GOALS

ELECTORAL
STRATEGY

ORAGANIZATIONAL SOCIAL BASE

STRUCTURE &
LINKAGES

Traditional
elite
representing
geographicall
y defined
constituency
Defense of
particularistic
interests and
status quo

Gain votes
through appeals to
local interests and
authority of local
notables

None, except for the

personal resources of the
candidate and the
symbolic appeal of the
party label

Gain votes
through
hierarchical
structure linking
local to national
leaders and
through exchange
of particularistic
benefits

Vertical networks of
Rural constituencies, lower classes, less well
loyalty and exchange
educated, urban migrants
between voters and local
party elites; factional ties
and shared material
interests between local
and national elites

Mobilize working
class and build
political identity
with universalistic
appeals and
provision of group
benefits

Mass membership
organization with ties to
trade unions and
sometimes with ancillary
social organizations

Social change
for benefit of
working class

Defend

Local and heterogeneous

Working and lower classes, state employees,

and the liberal professions

Working and middle classes

1

national
popular
classes
Ideologically based,
proto-hegemonic:
LENINIST AND
ULTRANATIONALIST

Religious-based:
DENOMINATIONAL
(PLURALIST)

FUNDAMENTALIST
(PROTOHEGEMONIC)

To seize
power and
implement its
ideologically
defined
program
Programmatic
: Defense of
core interests
of religious
adherents

Recruit, socialize
and mobilize core
constituency for
electoral and
extraparliamentar
y struggle for
power

Use of religious
organizations and
themes, and
distribution of
benefits, to
mobilize religious
Ideological:
adherents
Reorganizing Mobilize religious
state and
believers and
society around build religious
religious,
political identity
doctrinal
through
principles
invocation of
religious doctrine
and distribution of

Strongly hierarchical and

disciplined, with highly
selective recruitment and Working class or nationalists, depending on
intense indoctrination of ideology
militants; and
domination of ancillary
social organizations

Overlap between party

support and religiouscommunity membership,
often with explicit
linkage to lay
organizations

Cuts across class; religious and socially

conservative

Hierarchical
organization based on
religious authority with
extensive party and
ancillary organizations
established throughout
society

Religious, and lower (to lower-middle)

classes

benefits

TYPES OF PARTIES

ETHNICITY-BASED
ETHNIC

CONGRESS

GOALS

ELECTORAL
STRATEGY

ORGANIZATIONAL
STRUCTURE &
LINKAGES

SOCIAL BASE

PARTICULARISTIC:
Defense and advance of
ethnic group interests

Mobilize ethnic group with

appeals to ethnic group
benefit and threat and
through clientelism

A single ethnic, regional,

religious or national group

PARTICULARISTIC:
Contain social conflict
through sharing of power
and resources among
ethnic groups

Gain votes through

clientelistic loyalties and
exchanges among
constituent groups, and
through appeals to national
integration

Varies from weak

organization based on
traditional community ties
and loyalties to wellestablished mass personal
organizations with
ancillary social and
cultural organizations
Coalitional or federative
organization, based on
regional elites and local
notables

ELECTORALIST
3

Coalition of distinct
ethnic, religious and
regional groups

CATCH-ALL

Maximize electoral
support through broad
aggregation of interests

Gain votes through broad

and eclectic issue appeals
and candidate image

PROGRAMATIC

Advancement of
programmatic or
ideological agenda

PERSONALISTIC

Acquisition or retention of
power by party leader

Gain votes through

articulation of
programmatic (and/or
ideological) appeals
Gain votes through
emphasis on the personal
charisma of the party
leader, particularistic
benefits, and activation of
clientelistic linkages

MOVEMENT PARTIES
LEFT-LIBERTARIAN

POSTINDUSTRIAL,
EXTREME RIGHT

Advancement of
postmaterialist agenda
Advancement of antiimmigrant, anti-social
welfare-state agenda

Combine protest activities

with periodic voter
mobilization
Gain votes through appeals
emphasizing program and
leader`s charisma

Organization primarily
around election
campaigns, otherwise
weak party organization;
weak and shifting linkages
with civil society
organizations
Same as catch-all

Shallow and temporary

organization focused
dominated around the
election campaign and by
the national party leader

Open membership, weak

leadership, assembly
style of deliberation
Strong leader, but weak
organization

De facto core social

groups supplemented by
shifting constituencies

May be as heterogeneous
as catch-all (or may have
somewhat more defined
bases)
Diffuse but broader appeal
within lower classes

Well-educated
postmaterialists
Traditionalist
conservatives and antiimmigrant groups

Marin Roxana
SPE II