Linking political parties and interest groups

This article argues that political parties and interest groups are intricately and inextricably linked to one another. First, it examines co-evolution, discipline, brokerage, and identity as mechanisms that link parties and groups. The theoretical perspective behind each of these mechanisms is also explained in the context of empirical research that documents their relevance to organizational strategies and behaviours. It discusses how a research program that more explicitly addresses the party-group linkage might revise the understanding of parties and groups, and the nature of their dynamic interaction. It then suggests a number of avenues for future inquiry that would help to build more systematic knowledge about the ties between parties and groups. A new agenda for party-group linkages should recognize that the subject requires more than merely ‘more research’