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Intraparty Democracy and the Selection of Parliamentary Candidates: the Belgian Case

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  • Obler, Jeffrey

Abstract

Leaders and activists in most Western political parties, appreciating Schattschneider's adage1 that parties are controlled by those who control nominations to public offices, jealously guard their right to choose parliamentary candidates. They realize that candidates play a crucial role in shaping voters’ images of the parties as well as in formulating the party policies. Not surprisingly, candidates are usually recruited through rather oligarchical procedures. Extra-parliamentary party leaders normally pick the nominees in closed private meetings and then submit their choices to rank-and-file party members and/or delegates who nearly always grant their approval. Such procedures reduce the role of party members to one of docile acquiescence, and completely exclude party voters.

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  • Obler, Jeffrey, 1974. "Intraparty Democracy and the Selection of Parliamentary Candidates: the Belgian Case," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(2), pages 163-185, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:bjposi:v:4:y:1974:i:02:p:163-185_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Mattozzi, Andrea & Merlo, Antonio, 2015. "Mediocracy," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 32-44.
    2. Andrea Mattozzi & Antonio Merlo, 2011. "Mediocracy, Fourth Version," PIER Working Paper Archive 13-010, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania, revised 08 Feb 2013.

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