Discuss why people join political parties and explain the reasons for a person choosing one party over another.
What will be an ideal response?
Answers will vary.In a few countries, such as the People's Republic of China, people belong to a political party because they are required to do so to get ahead in life, regardless of whether they agree with the party's ideas and candidates.In the United States, though, people generally belong to a political party because they agree with many of its main ideas and support some of its candidates. Just as with interest groups, people's reasons for choosing one party over another may include solidarity, material, and purposive incentives.Solidarity Incentives:Some people join a particular party to express theirsolidarity,or mutual agreement, with the views of friends, loved ones, and other like-minded people. People also join parties because they enjoy the excitement of engaging in politics with like-minded others.Material Incentives:Many believe that by joining a party, they will benefit materially through better employment personal career advancement. The traditional institution ofpatronage- rewarding the party faithful with government jobs or contracts- lives on, even though it has been limited to prevent abuses. Back in the nineteenth century, when almost all government employees got their jobs through patronage, people spoke of it as the "spoils system," as in "the spoils of war."Purposive Incentives:Finally, some join political parties because they wish to actively promote a set of ideals and principles that they feel are important to American politics and society. As a rule, people join political parties because of their overall agreement with what a particular party stands for. Thus, when asked why they support the Democratic Party, people may make such remarks as the following: "The economy is better when the Democrats are in control." "The Democrats stand for civil rights." People might say about the Republican Party: "The Republicans favor a smaller government." "The Republicans want to put America first."
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