Values, Critique of the Republic, and Alternative Program of Party Theory
Values of RPT |
RPT's Critique of the Madisonian Republic |
RPT's Alternative program |
| Political equality. All citizens are equal and should have equal influence over government. | Self-interest. Not automatic in politics. Theory must take into account costs of participation and paradox of collective action. Resource bias seriously distorts equality. | Strengthened party organizations. If parties had control over the resources necessary to gain public office, they could use those resources to discipline members and promote party coherence. |
| Electoral democracy. Elections are designed to promote political equality because each citizen has one vote. Elections should be organized to approximate the instrumental model, whereby citizens use their votes to communicate their preferences and hold leaders accountable. | Representation. Problematic. Many interests are seriously under represented because of nonparticipation, bias, information costs. Interests with more resources are more likely to be heard and represented. | Concentration of power in hands of winning party. Give winning party control over government. For some party theorists, this goal requires restructuring of American government into a parliamentary system. |
| Responsibility. Both individual officeholders and governmental institutions must be responsible for political outcomes and for the conduct of public affairs. | Conflict and dispersed power. Problematic and inappropriate. Representation does not produce conflict. Dispersal of power undermines responsibility, especially collective responsibility, thereby- subverting electoral democracy. | Party competition and provision of a clear choice. Electoral competition between parties gives voters a meaningful choice, thus putting people in control, as in the instrumental model. Elections determine who governs, thus promoting equality and electoral democracy. |
Walter Stone, (1990) "Republic at Risk" Brooks-Cole.