Suchergebnisse

In this book chapter, Matthijs Bogaards (Central European University) and Hager Ali (GIGA) review the literature on factionalism and factions in political parties as well as other organizations.

It is time to think again about the conceptualization of factionalism in political science. Following a brief review of scholarly contributions in the field, I argue that the analytical approach based on typologies and categories of subparty groups is not very useful in explaining intra-party behaviour and the process of change because, by their nature, these are static tools. Building on previous contributions to the study of factions, notably Sartori, I suggest focusing on intra-party dynamics instead of on organizational forms of faction. Factionalism should be viewed in non-exclusive terms, i.e. as a dynamic process of subgroup partitioning. It is a multifaceted phenomenon that can transform itself over time in response to incentives. Based on conclusions from case study research of factionalized parties in established democracies, I identify three main faces of factionalism: cooperative, competitive and degenerative. I suggest that the process of change may occur in a cycle that contributes to party disintegration, as illustrated by the case of the Christian Democratic Party in Italy (DC), which imploded in the mid-1990s under the centrifugal pulls of its factions.

Examines the political form and content of the movements known as the Hezbollah, the Pragmatists, the Right Wing, and the Left Wing, all sharing a commitment to Islamic social order; since 1979.

'Factionalism in Chinese Communist Politics' by Jing Huang is reviewed.

Although factionalism in human societies has attracted the attention of many anthropologists, its conceptualization is not very distinct. In this study an attempt has been made to reexamine the issue in the light of empirical case material from a village in the state of Haryana (India). The questions considered are (1) the causes and the operation of increased factionalism in this village over a period of twenty‐five years and (2) the nature, scope, and functions of these factions. The study suggests that the factions are ephemeral interest‐oriented groups that are formed on nontraditional bases of social organization and operate on the political as well as the social level. It seems that the ambiguity of sociocultural norms in situations of accelerated sociocultural change leads to a growth of factionalism, particularly when there are new opportunities and an attendant spirit of competition.