Confronting the weakest link: aiding political parties in new democracies

Beset with persistent problems of self-interest, corruption, ideological incoherence, and narrow electoral majorities, political parties are the weakest link in many democratic transitions around the world. A large and ever-growing number of U.S., European, and multilateral assistance programs seek to help parties become effective pro-democratic actors. But given the depth of the problems, is success possible?C onfronting the Weakest Link is a pathbreaking study of international aid for political parties. Beginning with a penetrating analysis of party shortcomings in developing and p

Introduction -- The standard lament -- The condition of parties -- A quick global tour -- Diagnosing the condition -- The assistance response -- The world of party aid -- The standard method and beyond -- Interests and partisanship -- The question of effects -- Party system aid -- Conclusions -- Going deeper