Comparative party Finance: Notes on Practices and Toward a Theory

Abstract

A DVANCES TOWARD the more genuinely comparative study of po1 litical finance processes require on the one hand greater amounts of data and information, and on the other unifying concepts which will help relate structures peculiar to various systems in terms of realistically conceived common denominators. This symposium contains valuable contributions on both counts. While concerned primarily with their assigned task of describing the political finance processes of one country, many authors are also extremely suggestive by reason of the techniques of aggregation and analysis which they employ. The purpose of this article is also two-fold: to attempt an initial comparative evaluation of data and interpretation presented here and elsewhere, and to explore the more theoretical problems of method. Since the question of what concepts might be applicable to the comparative study of political finance is so significant, the attempt is made to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of several potential approaches by ordering the material with reference to them. Three key concepts which seem promising in this respect are: firstly-some simplified form of input-output analysis centering on parties as instruments of electoral competition; secondly-a framework of analysis based on the notion of transfer, and especially on the roles assumed in the process of transferring political support; and thirdly-developmental models which reflect significant changes in the reciprocal relationships of electorates and parties in different phases of industrializing societies1