Democracy Within Parties ─ Candidate Selection Methods and Their Political Consequences

Comparative Politics is a series for researchers, teachers, and students of political science that deals with contemporary government and politics. Global in scope, books in the series are characterized by a stress on comparative analysis and strong methodological rigour. The series is published in association with the European Consortium for Political Research. For more information visit www.essex.ac.uk/ecpr

The Comparative Politics Series is edited by Professor David M. Farrell, School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin, Kenneth Carty, Professor of Political Science, University of British Columbia, and Professor Dirk Berg-Schlosser, Institute of Political Science, Philipps University, Marburg.

`Hazan and Rahat give us the first systematic framework for describing and analyzing candidate selection methods within political parties. Following in the tradition of Schattschneider, Dahl, and Sarton, they also give us a powerful corrective to the mantra that more internal democracy will automatically both reverse party decline and improve democracy at the system level.'---Richard Katz, Johns Hopkins University

`Compared with the dramatic hoop-la of election campaigns, the prior process of nominating candidates has long remained hidden. But this process is also vital---for voter choice, inclusive parliaments, and democracy. This insightful and original study compares candidate selection across multiple democracies and provides fresh insights into why it matters.'---Pippa Norris, Harvard University

`If "democracy is unthinkable save in terms of the parties." (Schattschneider), we need more knowledge about one critical partisan function: selecting candidates. Hazan and Rahat's book is an essential contribution to our understanding of this underappreciated aspect of political parties.'---Matthew Shugart, University of California, San Diego

Can too much participation harm democracy? Democratic theory places great importance upon the conduct of elections, but it is not often recognized that the electoral game takes place in two arenas, not only between parties but also within them. This pioneering book presents a new approach to understanding political parties. It sheds light on the inner dynamics of party politics and the first comprehensive analysis of one of the most important processes any party undertakes---its process of candidate selection. Candidate selection methods are the mechanisms by which a party chooses its candidates for the general elections. It may be the function that separates parties from other organizations. For such an important function, this field has certainly faced a dearth of serious investigation.

Hazan and Rahat, the leading scholars on this topic, conduct an in-depth analysis of the consequences of different candidate selection methods on democracy. This book is a culmination of almost two decades decades of research and defines the field of candidate selection. Part I of the book delineates candidate selection methods based on four major dimensions: candidacy; the selectorate; decentralization: and voting versus appointment systems. Part II analyses the political consequences of using different candidate selection methods according to four important aspects of democracy: participation; representation; competition; and responsiveness. The book ends with a proposed candidate selection method that optimally balances all four of the democratic aspects concurrently, and answers the question `Is the most participatory candidate selection method necessarily the best one for democracy?'

Reuven Y. Hazan, Professor of Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The book was completed while he was a Visiting Professor of Government, Harvard University.
Gideon Rahat, Senior Lecturer in Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.