Programmatic parties generate and formulate policy, mobilize support, and govern, on the basis of consistent and coherent ideological positions. Programmatic politics are contrasted with clientelistic parties, which seek to mobilize support through patron–client networks and seek power in order to gain control over state resources.
What is Clientelism?
Clientelism refers to a situation in which a “patron” (in this context, normally a politician) builds a relationship with a larger group of voters (clients) that trades its support for various personal or communal favors. As a result, clientelistic parties gain support based on their on relationships with specific individuals or groups. They do not attempt to gain support from a diverse range voters based on their policy program.
Clientelistic parties might seek support of voters based on the charisma or personal networks of their leader(s). On the other hand, they might seek the support of specific ethnic, religious or regional communities that they represent. In either case, they gain support based on the promise that they will reward their supporters with benefits if they achieve political power.
Examples of clientelistic parties include:
- Parties with large, clientelistic networks of supporters;
- Parties that act as personalistic vehicles for charismatic leaders;
- Parties that lack the capacity to design, propose and eventually implement relatively consistent public policy;
- ‘Policy-switcher’ parties, which compete programmatically but change their policy proposals once in office; and
- Parties that represent single-issue movements. (Cheeseman et. al. 2014:4)
In party systems dominated clientelistic parties, elections do not generate debate over important issues such as economic policy and may not even focus on the performance of the last government. In clientelistic parties, for example, leaders gain support if they provide sufficient private benefits to their supporters—the question of how well they handle education and health policy is of little importance.
When political debates are based on client-patron relationships, those debates usually focus on about which resources and benefits should go to which specific groups based on the loyalty of the parties to those groups and vice versa. This means that ideological debates do not move closer to a common ground that reflects the needs and concerns of the majority of the citizens and the country as a whole. Rather, clientelistic politics often results in zero sum games where the gains of dominant parties (and their supporters), results in the loss to non-dominant parties (and their supporters).
In the best case, this can lead to uneven development and the stagnation of the party system. At worse it can be a cause of corruption, divisiveness and even violent conflict.
What is a Programmatic Party?
In contrast to clientelistic parties, programmatic parties’ relationship with their supporters is based on their ideology, rather than their relationships. A programmatic party has well-structured and stable ideological commitments that form the basis for:
- The link with its supporters. I.e. programmatic parties gain support based on their ideology and their policy program, rather than through clientelistic relationships or the charisma of its leadership.
- Electoral competition among parties. I.e. Debates between programmatic parties are based on their policy differences. This leads to electoral competition that is based on policy options, rather than personal or communal loyalties.
- The policymaking process. Parties in government seek to implement their program in line with their ideological commitments and policy priorities. This results in public policy that advances the party’s ideological vision for the direction of the country, rather than the interests of specific individuals and communities.
In each of these arenas, parties behave according to programmatic strategies (i.e. strategies that aim to gain support for, defend, or implement their policy programs). Ideally, to be ‘programmatic’, a party would have to stress such strategies in all three arenas. (Cheeseman et. al. 2014:1)
Understanding Programmatic Political Parties
Political parties cannot be easily categorized as either ‘programmatic’ or ‘not programmatic’. Rather, they are located along a broad spectrum. All parties, regardless of geography, economy or culture, may (or may not) deploy nonprogrammatic strategies if these strategies lead to them gaining political support.
However, in general ‘Programmatic parties’ are considered to have:
- A collection of policy positions that form a well-structured and stable political programme by which the party is publicly known.
- Internal coherence, party discipline and agreement on a range of policy positions.
- A commitment and ability to deliver on at least some key programmatic promises when in a position of power.
- A party programme that is the most defining element in how it attracts and engages its members. (Cheeseman et. Al. 2014:101)
The Importance of Programmatic Parties
Programmatic Parties are More Accountable
Programmatic political parties represent different groups in society by aggregating their preferences and acting on their best interests. This makes them more accountable to the citizens for their success or failure to advance those preferences and interests in public policy decisions.
When political parties commit themselves to implementing a clear set of policy positions if elected, they make themselves accountable to the people to deliver on their promises. Voters can then reward or punish parties during the next elections, based on whether they did, or not deliver on those promises.
Programmatic Parties Promote Legitimacy
Where political parties have poor policy performance and a lack of accountability, citizens generally hold them in very low esteem. With very few exceptions, women and men in countries without programmatic parties are less likely to be fully represented, and both they and democracy suffer as a result.
The increased accountability of programmatic parties helps to legitimize the democratic system. The focus on governance and debating policy is conducive to economic development and transparency. Given their focus on nationwide public goods, programmatic parties are also more likely to include broader sectors of society.
Programmatic Parties Promote Development
In much of the developing world, most parties are not perceived to be engaged with the production, deliberation and implementation of policies related to the substance of development. It is vital for political parties’ success to live up to their responsibilities for citizens’ well-being. According to Cheeseman et. al., countries in which parties compete primarily on the basis of policies are more likely to be better off: they have stronger institutions and are greater socio-economic achievers than countries where parties do not.
Programmatic parties’ support is based on broad policy commitments related to the development of the country as a whole. These commitments are related to specific policies that make programmatic parties accountable for their success or failure. As a result, programmatic are more likely to deliver on nationwide development (e.g. jobs, public services, economic growth, security, poverty reduction) than other types of parties that seek to control state resources for specific interests (Cheeseman et. al. 2014).
Programmatic Parties Strengthen and Develop the Party System
A programmatic foundation also presents benefits for the parties themselves. Programmatic parties allocate a greater proportion of its funds to programmatic campaigning, as well as issues such as voter research, outreach and image building. Consequently, the programmatic party model can, for example
- Help politicians inexpensively sustain the party’s appeal beyond that of its current leader
- Promote party discipline and more focused campaigning
- Build homogeneous (nationwide) parties
- Link ambitious politicians to a known party label
- Encourage greater commitment and participation by members and facilitate fundraising (Cheeseman et. al. 2014).