Tasks of the Party

In a large republic such as ours, political parties serve as a linkage institution that translates inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers. Linkage institutions filter through the various issues, choose the most pressing concerns, and place those on the government’s agenda.

We’ve already discussed on linkage institution, the media. Political parties are another example of a linkage institution.

Click the images below to learn more about the tasks that political parties perform as a linkage institution.

Parties Choose Candidates

Parties choose candidates by nominating them through a series of primary elections. Here Barack Obama is accepting his party’s nomination or endorsement of him as their choice for president.

Parties Run Campaigns

With their national, state, and local organizations, parties coordinate political campaigns. They provide funding and resources to candidates on their ticket.

Parties Give Voters Cues

Parties do give voters a short-hand way to know what the policies of the candidates are; if they are conservative or if they are liberal in their ideology. This makes it easier for voters to know something about the beliefs and ideals of the candidates.

Parties Articulate Policies

Not only do parties give voter cues about the candidate’s beliefs and ideals. But parties work actively to achieve specific policy alternatives. For example, one of the issues of both the 2002 and 2008 presidential elections was the conduct of the war in Iraq.

Parties Coordinate Policymaking

With the separate branches of US government dividing power, parties are essential for coordinating among the branches and levels of government. The parties offer a way for politicians to get things done by turning to their party members for support.