Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Political parties have historically provided linkages to various racial, ethnic and religious groups. However, such links have not always been the most efficient, sustainable, or the most cost-effective for mobilizing long-term relationships with such groups. Additionally, there have been varying interpretations of what linkages mean across time and space, e.g., should linkages always be transparent, are they necessarily better if they are long-term. Moreover, beyond simply attempting to garner votes from such groups (which have often been marginalized and used for political expediency), political parties have waxed and waned in their social efforts. That is, political parties have often not been able to sustain social (let alone political and economic) linkages to various groups.