In this article you will learn about the Functions of Political Parties.
Functions of Political Parties in a Democratic Political System
The important and absolutely essential role that political parties play in every modern political system has been now recognised by all the political scientists. The role played by the political parties can be examined through an analysis of the functions performed by them.
Several political scientists have attempted to prepare a list of the important functions that political parties perform in the working of every political system. Simply stated, political parties performs three major functions :
- Formulation of public opinion,
- Contesting elections, and
- Organising, running and controlling the government.
Functions of Political Parties
1. Formulation of Public Opinion : The first and foremost important function of political parties is to give coherence and meaning to the ideas, desires and ambitions of the people and to clarify the public will upon various issues and problems. The true reason for their existence is bringing public opinion to focus and framing issues for public judgement. Their primary task is to organise and clarify the public on various issues and problems.
2. Agencies of Political Education/Socialisation : Political parties play a vitally important role as agencies of political education. Along with other agencies like school, family, and mass media, the political parties transmit the values and beliefs of the political system to the people. Mostly, it is through political parties that the people learn their role in politics and they try to act out their roles as citizens and voters. Political parties play a vital role in securing the integration of an individual with his political community.
3. Leadership Recruitment : Political parties are the essential and ideal channels for recruiting leaders. In all political systems, democratic as well as authoritarian/totalitarian, leaders emerge through political parties. Parties provide necessary leadership education and training to its members, some of whom emerge as leaders. When the parties select and field their candidates, these really perform an essential role as agencies of political recruitment.
4. Interest Articulation : Through interest articulation is mostly a function of the interest groups, yet as the organised political structures work in the environment of the political system, political parties always play an important role in interest articulation. These help the people to sort out, clarify and specify their claims into demands for law-making. In a political system with a single party system, the inner party groups act as the agencies of interest articulation. To some extent it is also true of all other party systems.
5. Interest Aggregation : Political parties are the main agencies of interest aggregation. These are specialised aggregation structures of modern societies. The articulated interests are aggregated into a set of policy proposals or alternatives by the political parties. These are then taken to the government for approval. Political parties are the main channels of flow of aggregated demands into the political system.
6. Political Modernisation and Development : Political parties act as agencies of political modernisation and development. This is particularly true of developing countries. In such political systems political parties provide a particular shape to government and the policies pursued by it. These provide the major links between various social and economic groups. Political parties, through their roles as agencies of political socialisation, education and training, help the people to fix their goals as well as to secure the goals of modernisation and development.
This article on Functions of Political Parties is contributed by Dipshikha Anand. If you like LawStudyPoint.com do follow us on our Twitter handle.