This special issue offers an up-to-date overview of the democratization of candidate selection, while giving attention to causes and cases from both past and present. The focus is on the consequences of internal democratization for the overall functioning of political parties. The contributions show that there are many forms of democratizing candidate selection. These differences mainly concern the inclusiveness of the selectorate that controls the candidate selection process and the degree of centralization of the selection methods, of which the role and composition of the selectorate are the most vital and defining criteria. The types of consequences and their impact on the functioning of parties are not univocal because there are different degrees of democratization. The empirical evidence presented by the contributions shows that moderate forms of democratization can have beneficial effects on party organizations - such as higher levels of membership participation - but that this effect is not certain. Radical forms, on the other hand, are more likely to distort party cohesiveness, and consequently weaken the quality of representative democracy.
Bille, Lars (1994) `Denmark: The Decline of the Membership Party', in Richard S. Katz and Peter Mair (eds) How Parties Organize: Change and Adaptation in Party Organizations in Western Democracies, pp. 134-158. London: Sage.
2.
Carty, R. K. and Donald E. Blake (1999) `The Adoption of Membership Votes for Choosing Party Leaders: The Experience of Canadian Parties', Party Politics5: 211-224.
3.
Daalder, Hans (1992) `A Crisis of Party?', Scandinavian Political Studies15: 269-287.
4.
Deschouwer, Kris (1994) `The Decline of Consociationalism and the Reluctant Modernization of Belgian Mass Parties', in Richard S. Katz and Peter Mair (eds) How Parties Organize: Change and Adaptation in Party Organizations in Western Democracies, pp. 80-108. London: Sage.
5.
Epstein, Leon D. (1980) Political Parties in Western Democracies. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.
6.
Farrell, David M. (1994) `Ireland: Centralization, Professionalization and Competitive Pressures', in Richard S. Katz and Peter Mair (eds) How Parties Organize: Change and Adaptation in Party Organizations in Western Democracies, pp. 216-241. London: Sage.
7.
Flanagan, S. C. and R. J. Dalton (1984) `Parties under Stress: Realignment and Dealignment in Advanced Industrial Societies', West European Politics7: 7-23.
8.
Gallagher, Michael and Michael Marsh, eds (1988) Candidate Selection in Comparative Perspective: The Secret Garden of Politics. London: Sage.
9.
Hazan, Reuven Y. (1997) `The 1996 Intra-Party Elections in Israel: Adopting Party Primaries', Electoral Studies16: 95-102.
10.
Kaase, Max (1994). `Is there Personalisation in Politics? Candidates and Voting Behavior in Germany', International Political Science Review15: 211-230.
11.
Katz, Richard S. and Peter Mair, eds (1994) How Parties Organize: Change and Adaption in Party Organizations in Western Democracies. London: Sage.
12.
Katz, Richard S. and Peter Mair (1995) `Changing Models of Party Organization and Party Democracy: The Emergence of the Cartel Party', Party Politics1: 5-28.
13.
Kleinnijenhuis, Jan and Jan De Ridder (1998) `Issue News and Electoral Volatility: A Comparative Analysis of Media Effects during the 1994 Election Campaigns in Germany and the Netherlands', European Journal of Political Research33: 413-437.
14.
Koole, Ruud (1994) `The Vulnerability of the Modern Cadre Party in the Netherlands', in Richard S. Katz and Peter Mair (eds) How Parties Organize: Change and Adaptation in Party Organizations in Western Democracies, pp. 278-303. London: Sage.
15.
Krouwel, André (1999) `The Catch-all Party in Western Europe, 1945-1990: A Study in Arrested Development'. Amsterdam: Vrije Universiteit (PhD Thesis).
16.
Mair, Peter (1984) `Party Politics in Contemporary Europe: a Challenge to Party?', West European Politics7: 170-184.
17.
Mair, Peter (1989) `Continuity, Change and the Vulnerability of Party', West European Politics12: 169-187.
18.
Mair, Peter (1994) `Party Organizations: From Civil Society to the State', in Richard S. Katz and Peter Mair (eds) How Parties Organize: Change and Adaptation in Party Organizations in Western Democracies, pp. 1-22. London: Sage.
19.
Norris, Pippa (1996) `Legislative Recruitment', in Lawrence LeDuc, Richard G. Niemi and Pippa Norris (eds) Comparing Democracies: Elections and Voting in Global Perspective, pp. 184-215. London: Sage.
20.
Pennings, Paul (2000) `The Consequences of Ministerial Recruitment for the Functioning of Cabinets in Western Europe', Acta Politica35: 86-103.
21.
Poguntke, Thomas (1996) `Anti-party Sentiment - Conceptual Thoughts and Empirical Evidence: Explorations into a Minefield', European Journal of Political Research29: 319-344.
22.
Punnett, R. M. (1992) Selecting the Party Leader: Britain in Comparative Perspective. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
23.
Ranney, Austin (1975) Curing the Mischiefs of Faction: Party Reform in America. Berkeley and London: University of California Press.
24.
Scarrow, Susan (1996) Parties and their Members: Organizing for Victory in Britain and Germany. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
25.
Scarrow, Susan (1999) `Parties and the Expansion of Direct Democracy: Who Benefits?', Party Politics5: 341-362.
26.
Schmitt, H. and S. Holmberg (1995) `Political Parties in Decline?', in H.-D. Klingemann and D. Fuchs (eds) Citizens and the State, pp. 95-133. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
27.
Sundberg, Jan (1994) `Finland: Nationalized Parties, Professionalized Organizations', in Richard S. Katz and Peter Mair (eds) How Parties Organize: Change and Adaptation in Party Organizations in Western Democracies, pp. 158-184. London: Sage.
28.
Svåsand, Lars (1994) `Change and Adaptation in Norwegian Party Organizations', in Richard S. Katz and Peter Mair (eds) How Parties Organize: Change and Adaptation in Party Organizations in Western Democracies, pp. 304-331. London: Sage.
29.
Ware, Alan (1996) Political Parties and Party Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
30.
Wattenberg, Martin (1991) The Rise of Candidate-Centered Politics: Presidential Elections of the 1980s. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
