Political Parties

The 5 Great Concepts  system comparison power culture organization theory Almond and Powell

Interest Articulation Political parties are part of the interest articulation process The first things we need to do are: 1)  define the term interest articulation; and 2) put the concept into an appropriate theoretical perspective Definition: Interest articulation is the process through which individuals make demands upon the political system. Theoretical Perspective: The Systems Perspective: What does the term system mean? What are its components? How is it utilized in political science? What are the processes (functions) which all political systems share in common? (click on: Almond and Powell) Who are the actors? What roles do they play in each of the processes? Can we match up the processes identified by Almond and Powell with the appropriate parts of Easton's systems paradigm? A Question to Consider One of the major goals of any political system is stability, with the additional long term prospect of "systems maintenance". Therefore one of the critical questions for every political system is what type of interest articulation process will "fit" with the nature of the social system! Thus, we also need to understand the notion of political culture!