Exploring the pathologies of one-party-dominance on third sector public policy engagement in liberal democracies: Evidence from meso-government in the UK

Chaney, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2110-0436 2015. Exploring the pathologies of one-party-dominance on third sector public policy engagement in liberal democracies: Evidence from meso-government in the UK. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 26 (4) , pp. 1460-1484. 10.1007/s11266-014-9493-7

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Abstract

In liberal systems governing-party-turnover and third sector organisations’ engagement in public policy-making are seen as key factors maintaining the health of democracy. However, a significant lacuna in current understanding is the effect on engagement when governing-party-turnover is absent. Accordingly, drawing on qualitative interview data, this study examines the effects of one-party-dominance (OPD) in Wales; a regional polity in the UK where the Left-of-centre Labour Party has held uninterrupted government office since a new meso-legislature was created in 1999. The findings reveal OPD introduces a range of pathologies related to party institutionalisation, path-dependency and cognitive locks. These affect third sector organisations’ resource dependency and strategic bridging to elected representatives. The resulting democratic ills are self-sustaining and include diminution of NGOs’ autonomy, trust and criticality. This study’s wider significance lies in underlining the importance of governing-party-turnover- not only to effective third sector public policy engagement, but also the health of contemporary liberal democracies.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Publisher:	Springer
ISSN:	0957-8765
Funders:	ESRC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	21 May 2023 06:13
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/65240

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