Political Parties, Governance and Interfaces

Political parties, parliaments and other political institutions are crucial to democracy. They ensure stable change through elections, and that government serves the interests of the many and not the few. In the past two decades, most developing countries have moved from authoritarian to democratic political systems. In some of them, however, democratic institutions are unable to function. The values of democratic governance have not taken hold, and parties and parliaments operate under the shadow of entrenched, informal traditions.

The Political Parties, Governance and Interfaces cluster examines the problems facing political institutions. It analyses whether the resulting political deficits are self-imposed or externally inflicted. In some cases, corruption, violence and a lack of transparency make the institutions part of the problem rather than the solution. In others, the conditions imposed by international financial institutions make national agendas and priorities subservient to the global political agenda. In many countries, people trust local institutions more than those of the state. The cluster takes local realities as a starting point. It focuses on key stakeholders – public officials, elected representatives, local leaders and individuals – and how they interact with higher levels of governance. The cluster’s research is organized around four sub-themes:

Political parties, movements, democracy and conflict
Financing political parties and election campaigns
Political parties, competitive politics and economic policy reforms
Local democracy and governance: political parties and state-community interfaces.