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44 - Political Parties

from Part III. C - The Democratic System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2025

By
Jonathan White  and
Lea Ypi
Edited by
Richard Bellamy  and
Jeff King
Richard Bellamy
Affiliation:
University College London
Jeff King
Affiliation:
University College London
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Summary

This chapter examines the constitutional role of parties and partisanship. We begin by sketching a conception of constitutionalism as a mechanism for finding an equilibrium between different social interests. Appealing as this ideal of moderation has long been for many, we highlight its limits as a basis for democracy and progressive change. A desirable constitutional model must make space for political conflict and immoderation, and as we go on to argue, partisans and the associations they form are an important foundation for this. The final section connects these observations to the contemporary political world, in particular to the state of parties today and to some of the misplaced anxieties about ‘polarisation’ they give rise to.

Keywords

partiespartisanshipconstitutionalismmoderationpolarisationpolitical conflict
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Constitutional Theory , pp. 776 - 791
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

Recommended Reading

Biezen, I. & Saward, M. (2008). Democratic Theorists and Party Scholars: Why They Don’t Talk to Each Other, and Why They Should. Perspectives on Politics, 6 (1), 21–35.Google Scholar
Bonotti, M. (2017). Partisanship and Political Liberalism in Diverse Societies, Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herman, L. (2017). Democratic Partisanship: From Theoretical Ideal to Empirical Standard. American Political Science Review, 111 (4), 738–754.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Invernizzi Accetti, C. & Wolkenstein, F. (2017). The crisis of party democracy, cognitive mobilization and the case for making parties more deliberative. American Political Science Review, 111 (1), 97–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kelsen, H. (2013). The Essence and Value of Democracy. Edited by Urbinati, N. and Invernizzi-Accetti, C.. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.Google Scholar
Mair, P. (2013). Ruling the Void, London: Verso.Google Scholar
Muirhead, R. (2006). A Defence of Party Spirit. Perspectives on Politics, 4 (4), 713–727.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muirhead, R. (2014). The Promise of Party in a Polarized Age, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muirhead, R. & Rosenblum, N. (2020). The Political Theory of Parties and Partisanship: Catching Up. Annual Review of Political Science, 23 (1), 95–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenblum, N. (2008). On the Side of the Angels: An Appreciation of Parties and Partisanship, Princeton: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Schattschneider, E. E. (1942). Party Government, New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.Google Scholar
White, J. & Ypi, L. (2016). The Meaning of Partisanship, Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolkenstein, F. (2019). Rethinking Party Reform, Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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