Free «Advantages and Disadvantages of Political Parties in Government and Politics» Essay

Political parties have been a powerful instrument of political influence for centuries. The fact that the same system is being used in the twenty-first century proves that it is still effective and helps achieve goals by uniting individual politicians, who can carry out joint action.

The reason why parties are presented in government and civil society is because their role is to facilitate collective action (Lowi, Ginsberg, p. 469). One of the advantages of political parties is that they work as the basis for the political leader and help implement the roadmap that he or she declares. If a politician as a head of the party can work as a manifesto of the party’s ideology, the rest of the members are those who should put the idea into practice.

Secondly, parties make the political system stable, as the one that is based on order, not on personalities. Whoever is in power, he or she should act within the framework of that system. Besides, belonging to a particular party makes politicians more responsible because they should report on how they work in the direction of the program developed by the party.

Speaking about disadvantages, the United States are generally based on a two-party system, although other parties exist (Lowi, Ginsberg, p. 503). This means that the party member might lack flexibility, especially when in power. Even though individuals might disagree with the general party strategy, they either have to fulfill it or face the conflicts that might cost them support of party members. Thus, rigid two-party system can cause clash between its members, and in fact, no better alternative has been offered yet.

Thus, political party can both help implement and control actions that society needs to be implemented. However, sometimes political belonging can keep politicians from acting in a more flexible way.