Island School Global Politics
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      • 1. What is global politics?
      • 2. How is the course assessed?
      • 3. How can we analyse global politics?
      • 4. What political issues do I care about?
      • 5-7. Case Study: What does COVID-19 reveal about global politics?
      • 8. How can I prepare for studying global politics?
    • Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty and International Relations >
      • 1. What is the nature of power? >
        • 1. What is power?
        • 2. How does realism define power?
        • 3. How does liberalism define power?
        • 4. How do critical theories define power?
        • 5. Assessment: Which theory best explains power?
      • 2. How has state power evolved? >
        • 1. How did the nation state emerge?
        • 2. What is sovereignty?
        • 3. How is state sovereignty challenged today?
        • 4. What is the 'social contract'?
        • 5. What gives state power its legitimacy?
        • 6. Assessment: What type of states are more legitimate?
      • 3. Can other groups influence the power of the state? >
        • 1. How much power do IGOs have over states?
        • 2. Are NGOs insignificant global actors?
        • 3. How effective are social movements?
        • 4. How do resistance movements operate?
        • 5. Are political parties legitimate actors?
        • 6. Do informal forums undermine democracy?
        • 7. Assessment: How effective are other groups?
      • 4. Can global interactions improve the world? >
        • 1. Does global governance work?
        • 2. What role do treaties play?
        • 3. Does collective security work?
        • 4. Do alliances reduce or increase tensions?
        • 5. Does economic cooperation lead to interdependence?
        • 6. Is informal cooperation more effective?
        • 7. What drives modern conflicts?
        • 8. Is terrorism a reaction to globalisation?
        • 9. Can domestic conflicts influence global politics?
        • 10: Assessment: Can global interactions improve the world?
      • Unit 1: Exam Questions
    • Unit 2: Human Rights >
      • 1. How have Human Rights evolved? >
        • 1. What are human rights?
        • 2. How significant is the UDHR?
        • 3. How have human rights developed?
        • 4. Assessment: Are human rights a Western construct?
      • 2. Who or what protects our Human Rights? >
        • 1. How do states enforce human rights?
        • 2. Is international monitoring effective?
        • 3. Who enforces humanitarian law?
        • 4. How can civil society help monitor human rights?
        • 5. Assessment: Who should be responsible for human rights?
      • 3. How do Human Rights operate in practice? >
        • 1. Who makes claims on human rights?
        • 2. How are human rights contested locally?
        • 3. How are human rights contested nationally?
        • 4. How are human rights contested globally?
        • 5. Assessment: Does current human rights practice ensure equality?
      • 4. Why are Human Rights so contested? >
        • 1. Are collective rights more important?
        • 2. Are human rights universal?
        • 3. Are human rights too politicised?
        • 4. Assessment: How should we view human rights?
      • Unit 2: Exam Questions
    • Unit 3: Development >
      • 1. Why is development contested?
      • 2. How can development be helped or hindered?
      • 3. Can globalisation help increase development?
      • 4. Can development be made more sustainable?
    • Unit 4: Peace and Conflict >
      • 1. Is the use of violence ever justified? >
        • 1. What is peace, conflict and violence?
        • 2. What forms can conflict take?
        • 3. Is it right to ever go to war?
        • 4. Assessment: On what grounds can violence be justified?
      • 2. What causes conflicts to develop?
      • 3. How do conflicts evolve over time?
      • 4. Can peace be achieved by managing conflicts?
      • Unit 4: Exam Questions
    • HL Extension: Global Political Challenges >
      • Topic 1: Environment
      • Topic 2: Poverty
      • Topic 3: Health
      • Topic 4: Identity
      • Topic 5: Borders
      • Topic 6: Security
    • EA: Engagement Activity
    • EE: Extended Essay in Global Politics
    • News Blog
    • Research Links
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5. Are political parties legitimate actors?

Activity 1 - What are political parties?


Activity Tasks
  1. Think/Pair/Share - What are political parties? discuss this with a partner before sharing a definition with the class.
  2. List - What are the features that all political parties have in common? Make a list of characteristics.
  3. Discuss - Share your list with the class. To what extent do political parties in Hong Kong share these features?
  4. Examine - Download, read, and make notes from the Lesson Presentation on political parties.

Activity 2 - How are parties structured?


Activity Tasks
  1. Select - Choose one of the following British political parties from the recent UK 2019 National Election to investigate:
    1. Conservative Party - website and manifesto
    2. Labour Party - website and manifesto
    3. Liberal Democrat Party - website and manifesto
    4. Green Party - website and manifesto
    5. Brexit Party - website and manifesto
  2. Analyse - Using the information from that Party’s official website and election manifesto, find out the following information and record on this worksheet:
    1. What type of political party?
      1. Name - what is the name of the party you are analysing?
      2. Membership - cadre, mass, or catch-all party?
      3. Function - representative or integrative?
      4. Purpose - constitutional or revolutionary?
      5. Ideology - left-wing, centralist, or right-wing?
    2. How does the party function?
      1. Representation - is there evidence of ways in which the party tries to gather and represent the views of members?
      2. Elite Formation - what is the career background of the major party leaders? what social class?
      3. Goal Formation - what are the major policies each party has proposed in their 2019 manifesto?
      4. Interest Articulation - which groups, individuals, classes or factions does this party represent?
      5. Socialisation - what have been the main political issues that the party has advocated? how have they done this?
      6. Organisation of Government - have any senior party members worked for the government? how have they criticised the current government?
    3. How is the party organised?
      1. Funding - where and who does the party get its funding from? 
      2. Membership - how many members does the party have? how can you become a member?
      3. Leadership - how are the party leaders chosen? Elections or appointed by a small group?
      4. Decision Making - how does the party make policy decisions? Are party members consulted? How?

Activity 3 - How do political parties vary?


Activity Tasks
  1. Prepare - Using the information you have researched from Activity 2, prepare a 2-3 minute political platform persuasive speech to deliver to the class based on the 2019 election. Why should we vote for you?
  2. Deliver - You have 2-3 minutes to deliver your platform speeches. Remember to include information about: what and who your party represents, the policies you hope to enact, how they will benefit the country and how your leadership is more experienced and ready for leadership. Feel free to criticise other parties!

Activity 4 - Are parties legitimate actors?


Activity Tasks
  1. ​Review - Examine the arguments on Slide 21 of the Lesson Presentation for and against Political Parties. 
  2. Debate - Debate the following motion: “Political Parties enrich the political process for the benefit of all”.
  3. Reflect - Reflect upon the statement of inquiry for this topic again. How does the function and operation of political parties support the statement? Can you give examples?

Further Reading


​obligatory reading
  1. Heywood, A. (2013). Politics, pp. 221-243
  2. HK Politics 101: A guide to the city's political parties, from the pro-Beijing to the anti-establishment. (2020). Retrieved 9 January 2020, from https://yp.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/112116/hk-politics-101-guide-citys-political-parties-pro-beijing-anti
​recommended reading
  1. Liddiard, P. (2020). Are Political Parties in Trouble?. Retrieved 9 January 2020, from https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/are-political-parties-trouble
supplemental reading
  1. Lindsay, J. (2020). Ten Elections to Watch in 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020, from https://www.cfr.org/blog/ten-elections-watch-2020

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  • Home
  • Explorations
  • MUN
    • ISMUN Blog
  • IBDP Global Politics
    • Pre-IB Course >
      • 1. What is global politics?
      • 2. How is the course assessed?
      • 3. How can we analyse global politics?
      • 4. What political issues do I care about?
      • 5-7. Case Study: What does COVID-19 reveal about global politics?
      • 8. How can I prepare for studying global politics?
    • Unit 1: Power, Sovereignty and International Relations >
      • 1. What is the nature of power? >
        • 1. What is power?
        • 2. How does realism define power?
        • 3. How does liberalism define power?
        • 4. How do critical theories define power?
        • 5. Assessment: Which theory best explains power?
      • 2. How has state power evolved? >
        • 1. How did the nation state emerge?
        • 2. What is sovereignty?
        • 3. How is state sovereignty challenged today?
        • 4. What is the 'social contract'?
        • 5. What gives state power its legitimacy?
        • 6. Assessment: What type of states are more legitimate?
      • 3. Can other groups influence the power of the state? >
        • 1. How much power do IGOs have over states?
        • 2. Are NGOs insignificant global actors?
        • 3. How effective are social movements?
        • 4. How do resistance movements operate?
        • 5. Are political parties legitimate actors?
        • 6. Do informal forums undermine democracy?
        • 7. Assessment: How effective are other groups?
      • 4. Can global interactions improve the world? >
        • 1. Does global governance work?
        • 2. What role do treaties play?
        • 3. Does collective security work?
        • 4. Do alliances reduce or increase tensions?
        • 5. Does economic cooperation lead to interdependence?
        • 6. Is informal cooperation more effective?
        • 7. What drives modern conflicts?
        • 8. Is terrorism a reaction to globalisation?
        • 9. Can domestic conflicts influence global politics?
        • 10: Assessment: Can global interactions improve the world?
      • Unit 1: Exam Questions
    • Unit 2: Human Rights >
      • 1. How have Human Rights evolved? >
        • 1. What are human rights?
        • 2. How significant is the UDHR?
        • 3. How have human rights developed?
        • 4. Assessment: Are human rights a Western construct?
      • 2. Who or what protects our Human Rights? >
        • 1. How do states enforce human rights?
        • 2. Is international monitoring effective?
        • 3. Who enforces humanitarian law?
        • 4. How can civil society help monitor human rights?
        • 5. Assessment: Who should be responsible for human rights?
      • 3. How do Human Rights operate in practice? >
        • 1. Who makes claims on human rights?
        • 2. How are human rights contested locally?
        • 3. How are human rights contested nationally?
        • 4. How are human rights contested globally?
        • 5. Assessment: Does current human rights practice ensure equality?
      • 4. Why are Human Rights so contested? >
        • 1. Are collective rights more important?
        • 2. Are human rights universal?
        • 3. Are human rights too politicised?
        • 4. Assessment: How should we view human rights?
      • Unit 2: Exam Questions
    • Unit 3: Development >
      • 1. Why is development contested?
      • 2. How can development be helped or hindered?
      • 3. Can globalisation help increase development?
      • 4. Can development be made more sustainable?
    • Unit 4: Peace and Conflict >
      • 1. Is the use of violence ever justified? >
        • 1. What is peace, conflict and violence?
        • 2. What forms can conflict take?
        • 3. Is it right to ever go to war?
        • 4. Assessment: On what grounds can violence be justified?
      • 2. What causes conflicts to develop?
      • 3. How do conflicts evolve over time?
      • 4. Can peace be achieved by managing conflicts?
      • Unit 4: Exam Questions
    • HL Extension: Global Political Challenges >
      • Topic 1: Environment
      • Topic 2: Poverty
      • Topic 3: Health
      • Topic 4: Identity
      • Topic 5: Borders
      • Topic 6: Security
    • EA: Engagement Activity
    • EE: Extended Essay in Global Politics
    • News Blog
    • Research Links
  • More