Democratic Partisanship: Party Activism in an Age of Democratic Crises

Political parties are caught in the crossfire of contemporary criticism. Some are accused of being excessively technocratic and removed from citizens’ concerns, while others are attacked for their populist discourse and for pandering to the base instincts of constituents. But what ideal of partisanship do we have in mind when we blame parties for the ills of democracy? And how do real—world parties actually compare to this normative ideal? Democratic Partisanship bridges political theory an...