The Functions of Political Systems
According to Almond and Powell, there are seven functions
which all political systems need to perform
 
function
definition
actors involved
political 
recruitment
getting people to fulfill all the political roles associated with the political system from voter to government leaders
parties
political 
socialization
forming positive attitudes, values, beliefs and opinions which maintain or sustain the political system
parties/ media
political 
communication
transmitting politically-relevant information to citizens
parties/ interest groups/ media
interest 
articulation
expressing/ making demands upon the political system
parties/ interest groups
interest 
aggregation
selecting demands and combining them into a manageable number of major alternatives
parties
policymaking
taking demands and converting them into the authoritative decisions of the political system
parties/ interest groups
policy 
implementation
administering or putting the decisions into effect
parties/ interest groups