A Review of Party Reform Literature

Abstract

Democratic party. Many of the contributors to the growing body of party reform literature have themselves been actively involved in party affairs. One explanation for this on-going professional involvement is that political parties are among the most open and easily penetrated of American political institutions. Scholars are not only able to study parties, but they can also tinker with party structure, become party leaders, and hold party office. The Spring 1981 issue of P.S. contains reports by sixteen political scientists who served as delegates to the 1980 national conventions. In a number of areas around the country, Committees for Party Renewal, composed of both political scientists and party activists, are holding meetings to discuss ways to strengthen the two-party system. Such participation at a policy-making level is usually not possible for students of the Pentagon, the United Nations, the Congress, or even major interest groups. Party activities and procedures are regulated by state law, and political scientists, like other citizens, have a right to participate with only minimal prerequisites, such as party registration. The reforms of recent years have further opened the parties to those who have knowledge of party procedures, and that usually includes political science professors. Finally, party leaders, recognizing a support group, often solicit and encourage academic participation; party activists from academia can move