The Analysis and Practice of International Assistance to Political Parties: Objectives, Approaches and Outcomes

Abstract

Political parties are considered essential institutions in democracies, but in many new democracies the party system is often seen as either volatile and fragmented or being dominated by a single party. Individual parties are often perceived to be lacking in organizational routines and to be heavily dependent on the party leader. International efforts to assist the development of newly democratic regimes have gradually also included support for political parties. These efforts take a variety of forms and are also controversial as international actors become involved in domestic political processes. This panel invites contributions from academics as well as practitioners in the field of party support. It addresses three themes - objectives, approaches and outcomes - which have become central to the scholarship of and practice of assistance to parties in new democracies. What are the objectives of such assistance? Is it to support the stabilization of the party system or is the support targeted to individual parties? How are international assistance organized? Is the support given to political party organizations or to parliamentary party groups, should party support be targeted to particular objectives, such as stimulating policy developments or strengthening women's and youth's participation in politics? What are the outcomes of international party support? Studying the effect, including unintended effects, is one of the most challenging methodological tasks for party scholars and is a controversial issue among donors in this field. The panel invites several types of contributions: theoretical and normatively oriented papers, papers dealing with the challenges of implementing support programs, comparative and case studies of party support, as well as papers addressing the methodological issues.