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Democratic Norms and Party Candidate Selection

Taking Contextual Factors into Account

Political Science, Carleton University, 691D Loeb Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 5B6, Canada, bill_cross{at}carleton.ca

This article argues that the relative significance of party candidate selection processes in influencing representational and policy outcomes varies across countries and parties. Five variables are identified that influence this relationship: the electoral system, the degree of inter-party general election competition, the openness of the system to the election of independent candidates, whether representational demands are accommodated within or among parties, and the role of elected representatives in determining policy outcomes. From this, a normative argument is made that the strength of the case for democratically organized candidate nomination contests varies depending on the relative importance of these contests in determining policy and representational outcomes.

Key Words: candidate selection • electoral systems • party democracy • representation

Party Politics, Vol. 14, No. 5, 596-619 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/1354068808093392


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