Relational Political Marketing in Party-Centred Democracies : Because We Deserve It

This book offers a critical study of the way in which traditional market logic - derived from mainstream economics and managerial marketing - is commonly applied to democratic politics, within both political science and the rapidly expanding field of political marketing. Offering a re-conceptualisation of the political spheres in terms of ''markets'', which addresses the theoretical inadequacies of prior research, this book examines some of the most important practical implications that this alternative approach to party-centred politics may have for the marketing efforts of contemporary membership parties.

This book offers a critical re-thinking of the way in which traditional market logic - derived from mainstream economics and managerial marketing - has for decades commonly been applied in the theoretical understanding of democratic politics within influential quarters of political science and in later years also the relatively new but rapidly expanding field of political marketing. Such approaches are founded on the assumption that all markets are driven exclusively by exchange dynamics and this has in turn rendered the most basic workings of co-production and participation-oriented party-centred political systems theoretically invisible. The author starts by providing a thorough and wide-ranging critical assessment of the theoretical underpinnings of the contemporary political marketing literature and its market-based political science antecedents. Using a relationship marketing perspective the author goes on to offer a re-conceptualisation of these political spheres in terms of ''markets'' which addresses the theoretical inadequacies of prior research. She closes by examining some of the most important practical implications that this alternative approach to party-centred politics may have for the marketing efforts of contemporary membership parties. This book is essential reading to all those interested in party-centred politics and political marketing, as well as democratic theorists and students of political theory in general.