We will be offering coffee and pastries to attendees from 9am. 

Across the world, political parties seem to be in a state of crisis. Often perceived as “the weakest link” in the democratic process, they tend to be among the least trusted organisations in the eyes of the electorate. Yet, it is difficult to imagine a democracy that can function without them.

Drawing on cutting edge research on political parties and party systems in settings as diverse as Brazil, South Korea, Turkey, Ukraine and Zambia, this event, organised in partnership with International IDEA, will explore what kinds of political parties may be better suited to pursue longer-term developmental policymaking,

Key questions the panel will address are:

• Do programmatic parties in fact deliver better for development?
• What trajectories have enabled possible transitions towards more programmatic political parties?
• What are some of the most important factors that influence how political parties organise collective or more narrow-based interests and act upon those? To what effect?
• What practical lessons can be learned from this research to support political party development and broader democratic governance more effectively?