What Are Political Parties?
The definition, functions, and essential role of parties in democratic governance.
More Than Just Labels
A political party is an organized group of people who share broadly similar political goals and seek to influence government policy by nominating candidates for office and winning elections. Parties are distinct from interest groups (which seek to influence policy without contesting elections) and social movements (which may lack formal organization). Every functioning democracy has political parties; they are considered necessary, even by those who dislike them.
Parties perform several essential functions. They aggregate interests, translating the diverse preferences of millions of citizens into coherent platforms. They recruit and socialize political leaders, identifying talent and teaching the norms of democratic competition. They simplify voter choice by providing party labels that signal broad policy orientations. And they organize government: in legislatures, parties form the blocs that pass legislation; in parliamentary systems, they form the coalitions that govern.