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Multiple streams approach and political parties: modernization of Czech Social Democracy

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Abstract

Our aim is to probe the applicability of multiple streams approach (MSA) on the case of the Czech Social Democratic Party modernization’s project (2006–2008), as well as to extend it to settings beyond the government. This case offers not only a different domain to test MSA, but also a good case of problem solving under conditions of crisis. We argue that it is possible to apply MSA to political parties because they represent the same kind of organizations as governments, i.e., organized anarchies. Applying the MSA framework helps us understand the organizational transformation of the party. We identified favorable essential elements of three streams that were coupled in two opportunity windows by a skillful policy entrepreneur, the party chair Paroubek. His designation to the party leadership opened the window for successful adoption and realization of the narrow modernization project focusing on the introduction of political marketing and managerial methods. The defeat in the 2006 elections unlocked the window for adoption of the broad modernization project, but ambiguity of the issue hindered implementation leading to a loss of attention by party decision makers, the main entrepreneur and the dominant vote-seeking orientation of the party.

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Notes

  1. For more details, see Polášek et al. (2012, 2014).

  2. For election results, see www.volby.cz. For overview of the elections including top issues that the parties performed, see Czech election reports published in the Electoral Studies.

  3. It meant cooperation with consulting company Penn, Schoen and Berland (PSB); systematic sociological research, searching of “target population” and successive “re-branding of the mark” (new party colors, symbols and slogans); systematic using of negative campaign, etc.

  4. It meant arrival of new people; redistribution of powers between the chair and vice-chairs in favor of the chair.

  5. It is significant that in this case Dimun’s right-wing past was not a problem, but his experience as the Minister of Justice spokesman was emphasized.

  6. The Czech Republic acceded after long pre-accession negotiations in 2004.

  7. It was the best result in the history of ČSSD.

  8. It should be an incremental development in existing programmatic framework—especially in frame of the Basic Program of ČSSD, which was adopted in 2005, or Party of European Socialists’ (PES) resolution New Social Europe, which was adopted in 2006—not a radical ideological shift (Protocol 2007, 14, 38, 101; Congress Materials 2009, 20–21). Paroubek called rather to “analyze the effectiveness of traditional policy instruments” (Congress Materials 2007, 23) or later to development of “modern social democratic paradigm, which is generally embodied in Basic Program” in middle-term and short-term vote programs (Congress Materials 2009, 21).

  9. Novotný and Petržílek personally promoted the project of modernization in their congress speeches (Protocol 2007, 106–110, 131–132).

  10. The intention of these snap elections was later declared as unconstitutional, and they were moved to the regular term in May 2010 (see Stegmaier and Vlachová 2011). This shift caused a permanent election campaign that attracted a lot of party’s attention and resources.

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Acknowledgments

This article was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) project no. 13–20962S “Policy-Related Expertise in Czech Political Parties.” The first version was presented at the Workshop on Multiple Streams Approach, University of Alabama at Birmingham, November 14–15, 2014. We would like to thank its participants, especially to Nikos Zahariadis and Florian Spohr, as well as to Steven Gawthorpe and three anonymous reviewers for their inspiring and helpful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Public and Social Policy, Charles University in Prague, U Kříže 8, 158 00, Praha 5 – Jinonice, Czech Republic

    Vilém Novotný

  2. Faculty of Arts, Institute of Political Science and Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science, Charles University in Prague, U Kříže 8, 158 00, Praha 5 – Jinonice, Czech Republic

    Martin Polášek

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  1. Vilém Novotný
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Correspondence to Vilém Novotný.

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Novotný, V., Polášek, M. Multiple streams approach and political parties: modernization of Czech Social Democracy. Policy Sci 49, 89–105 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11077-015-9223-z

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