Twelve - Political parties and policy analysis

Summary

Introduction

As noted in the introduction to this volume, policy analysis can beunderstood as ‘a method for structuring information and providingopportunities for the development of alternative choices’ (seeChaqués-Bonafont and Jordana, this volume). While such a definitionmay be widely accepted, its implications are far from obvious,since, for instance, different actors may interpret in substantiallydifferent ways how this knowledge should be generated and used. Froma purely rationalist approach, knowledge structuring can beconceived (admittedly naively) as a neutral and aseptic process thatattempts merely to find the best possible solution to a social orpolitical problem. The extreme opposite of rationalism,constructivism, asserts the complex and controversial nature ofsocial problems. This usually leads to efforts to understand theinterests and motivations of different actors in order to enable thecommitments that allow for agreed or politically viable solutions toa problem. Concerning the role of policy analysis within politicalparties, such a variety of interpretations favours the developmentof different tasks and tools, from data-gathering or therecollection of good practices, to the analysis of the networks andinterests involved in a problem (Moran et al, 2006).

The importance of policy analysis for political parties is wellestablished in democratic theory. In liberal democracies organisedaround party government, political parties play a key role in thegovernance of political institutions due to their ability to buildparliamentary majorities, recruit staff to executives, and draftelectoral programmes that are expected to guide public action(Blondel and Cotta, 1996, 2000). Despite their currently changingrole as mediators between civil society and the democratic state,parties have tended to be characterised by the recruitment ofpolitical personnel as well as by the articulation, aggregation, andmobilisation of social interests (Hershey, 2006). However, theseactors’ capacities and contributions to policy analysis are far frombeing clear and direct, inasmuch as this is gradually ceasing to beone of the central duties that political parties carry out incontemporary political systems. On the other hand, political partiesmight still have a role in policy-making processes through otheralternative strategies to policy analysis: for instance, clientelismand patronage (Hopkin, 2006).