Modern Politics and Government

Also by Alan R. Ball

British Political Parties (2nd edition) Pressure Politics in Industrialised Societies (with Frances Millard)

Modern Politics and Government

Alan R. Ball Principal Lecturer in Government

Portsmouth Polytechnic

FOURTH EDITION

M MACMILLAN EDUCATION

© Alan R. Ball 1971, 1977, 1983, 1988

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Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

First edition 1971 Reprinted 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 Second edition 1977 Reprinted 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 Third edition 1983 Reprinted 1985 Fourth edition 1988

Published by MACMILLAN EDUCATION LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world

Typeset by Activity Ltd, Salisbury, Wilts

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Ball, Alan R. Modern politics and government.-4th ed. 1. Political science I. Title 320 JA71 ISBN 978-0-333-46413-7 ISBN 978-1-349-19347-9 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-19347-9

To Alison, Michael, Peter and Adam

Contents Preface to the First Edition Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the Third Edition Preface to the Fourth Edition

PART ONE: THE NATURE OF POLITICS

1 The Study of Politics The problem of boundaries Traditional approaches Comparative studies New approaches Systems analysis Further developments Political studies and practical politics

2 Politics, Power and Authority The nature ofpo1itics Sources of political conflict Means of reconciling political conflict Political power Political authority and influence Distribution of power

Pluralism Elitism Marxism Corporatism Power distribution in modern societies

3 Classification of Governments Aims of classification Problems of classification Systems of classification Classification of political structures

Vll

Xl

Xlll

XlV

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3 3 4 7 9

12 13 15

19 19 22 23 25 28 29 30 31 32 33 34

37 37 40 43 47

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4 Political Culture

5

6

7

The nature of the political culture Foundations ofthe political culture Aspects of the political culture Symbols and the political culture Development of a political culture Political socialisation Agencies of socialisation Socialisation and the political system

PART TWO: PARTIES, PRESSURE GROUPS AND REPRESENTATION

Political Parties Definition Functions of political parties Party structure Determinants of party structure Party systems Change and party systems Electoral systems and political parties

Pressure Groups Pressure group analysis Determinants of pressure group methods Levels of pressure group activity Determinants of pressure group influence

Representation, Elections and Voting Behaviour

Theories of representation Liberal democratic theories of representation Collectivist theories of representation Functions of elections Voting behaviour The role of the mass media

53 53 54 58 60 62 63 65 68

73 73 75 79 82 84 88 90

96 96 98

103 107

112 112 114 117 119 121 128

Contents lX

PART THREE: STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT

8 Assemblies 135 The nature of assemblies 135 Assembly-executive relations 137 Legislative functions 141 Representative functions 143 Internal organisation 144 Second chambers 148 Decline of assemblies 150

9 Organisation of Government, 1 153 Area of study 153 Chief executives 155 Origins and stability of chief executives 159 Functions and powers of chief executives 163 Chief executives and the political process 165

10 Organisation of Government, II 170 Scope of government administration 170 Structure 171 Functions 173 Control of the bureaucracy 177 Recruitment and training 181

11 Judiciaries 186 The courts and the political process 186 The nature oflaw and the political process 188 Legal structure and recruitment 190 Functions of the judiciary 194 Control of the judiciary 200

12 The Military and Politics 204 Characteristics of the military 204 Limited interference in the political process 207 Direct interference 212 Military control 215 Conclusion 220

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PART FOUR: VALUES AND POLITICS

13 Ideologies and Political Change The importance of values in politics Political ideologies Functions of ideologies Ideologies and change

Bibliography

Index

225 225 226 229 234

239

246

Preface to the First Edition

This book is intended as an introduction to the study of modern politics and political institutions. No exhaustive approach can be found within the pages of one book, especially in view of the wide-ranging nature of the subject, whose boundaries are still a matter of academic dispute. For some teachers of politics the problem of definition is solved by a concentration on the politics and political institutions of one country; for others the certainties of constitutional law become the only reliable guide to the complexities of what is termed the political process. The study of comparative government, with its advancing methodology, offers avenues of escape from a culture-bound prison, but it presupposes, from the nature of its approach, an awareness of the basic principles of the study of politics.

I have attempted to present a framework which will allow the student to understand the nature and the significance of political activity, the relevance ofpolitical institutions and the place of politics in the broader context of society. This approach hopes to raise more questions than it answers, yet intends to secure a firm foundation for students to follow more specialised courses in political science and, at the same time, to allow students who wish to specialise after the first year of degree studies in other social science disciplines to find a wider appreciation of the relevance of political studies to their own subject.

There are no attempts to see how particular countries are governed, or to examine in detail the political institutions of individual states. Instead, the contrasting political processes of various countries are used to illustrate the wider nature of the political process. The atm is to continually emphasise

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political interrelationships and therefore the field of reference is wide, yet, it is hoped, comprehensible to first-year undergraduates.

The book is divided into four parts. Part One examines the nature of political activity and some elementary problems of methodology, and attempts to relate these political institu­tions and societies by discussing such concepts as the political system, the political culture and political socialisation. Part Two concentrates on what are termed the 'inputs' of the political system, i.e. parties and pressure groups, and examines the impact of public opinion through elections and the mass media in the context of theories of representation. Part Three looks at the structure of government, not in a descriptive way, but in a search for the institutional connecting threads in political systems, and emphasises similarities, differences and the functions of government structures, which when studied in isolation may appear unique and incomparable. Part Four briefly examines the more difficult problems of evaluating political activity and political structures, and the pitfalls that accompany attempts to compare and measure the values of different systems. The place of political ideologies within the political system and their relationships to political change will also be examined.

This approach has the advantage of emphasising the interconnectedness of various aspects of political behaviour and of political institutions, and illustrates the basic unity of politics as an academic discipline. Also, by looking beyond the British political system it underlines the aspects common to all political activity, and there is then less danger of attributing certain political behaviour and institutions to isolated national genius or to an act of God. The difficulties that will be presented to the student by this wide field of reference are not underestimated, but the approach hopes to stir the imagination of the student by showing that the study of politics involves a wider and more fascinating field of investigation than perhaps was previously visualised.

I wish to thank my colleagues Mr Adrian Lee and Mrs Sylvia Horton for the help and advice they have given me with the subject matter and the structure of the book. The errors and lack of judgement are, however, my own responsibility.

Portsmouth Alan R. Ball 1970

Preface to the Second Edition

I have tried to minimise the changes in the second edition. There has been some revision of the supporting examples in view of recent political changes. I have also substantially altered Chapters 3, 5 and 13 to offer a less dogmatic approach and to elaborate the complexity of some of the problems of classification and conceptualisation. However, the structure of the book does remain basically unchanged.

I would like to thank my colleagues Sylvia Horton and Geoffrey Williams for the advice they have given - and, in particular, Frances Millard, without whose criticism this second edition would have been less necessary.

Portsmouth September 1976

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Alan R. Ball

Preface to the Third Edition

In this third edition I have attempted to keep the basic framework intact while providing more recent examples and improving the notes and the bibliography. The increasing interest in corporatism has necessitated some changes to Chapter 6 and I have sought to ease student difficulties in understanding the problems of pluralism by introducing the concept much earlier, and it is now discussed more fully in Chapter 2. However, the major changes remain in the area of supporting examples and bibliography.

I would like to thank Terry Hanson of the Portsmouth Polytechnic Library for his help. My colleague, Sylvia Horton, was again invaluable with many constructive suggestions. My main thanks must be directed to Frances Millard for generous advice and for her suggestions for change. Without her encouragement the task of producing this edition would have been far more difficult.

Portsmouth December 1982

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Alan R. Ball

Preface to the Fourth Edition

In this fourth edition I have sought to keep the text up to date with developments in contemporary political events and to incorporate the more recent analyses that have appeared since the third edition was published. Thus the illustrations, references and bibliography have been extensively changed and improved. Also extensive changes have been made in those parts of the text such as political culture, elections and voting behaviour, where new approaches by political scien­tists have produced new insights and presented new areas for discussion and controversy within the discipline. I have also attempted to present a more simplified approach to those parts of the text dealing with political power and to offer students a guide to the complex arena of power distribution models.

I would like to thank my colleagues Sylvia Horton and Rob Atkinson for their help with various chapters and Terry Hanson of Portsmouth Polytechnic Library for his assistance in the search for the obscure and the difficult. Again my foremost gratitude must be directed to Frances Millard; she remains my main critic, but softens the criticism with helpful advice and guidance. However, I retain the onus of responsibility for all mistakes.

Portsmouth july 1987

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Alan R. Ball