POLIS 2094 - Parties, Elections, Media

Political parties are the primary actors in political systems all over the world. This course compares the way that parties animate the Australian and comparable political systems. While leadership has become the focus of political contests, to what extent have democratic participation and the contest of ideas maintained their importance? As the power of traditional forms of mass media wanes, we examine the way that political actors adopt to new forms of political communication. Australian national elections, as well as American presidential elections and contests in new democracies in Asia provide the setting for the course.