Parties and Party Competition

How can we identify differences between party systems, determine party positions, and measure public opinion? Do parties keep their promises, or are politicians “pledge breakers”? This undergraduate module discusses the main functions of political parties, features of representative democracies, and ways of measuring public opinion.

The module assesses whether parties keep their promises, whether the “mandate model of democracy” is a desirable and realistic mode of political representation, and how parties respond to changes in public opinion, before turning to approaches for measuring party positions, ideology, and issue salience.

More information: UCD module page (opens in new tab).