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Table 1: The models of party and their characteristics (adapted from Mair, 1998,
pp.110–111).

Characteristics Elite party Mass party Catch-all party Cartel party

Time-period 19th century 1880–1960 1945– 1970–

Degree of Restricted Enfranchisement Mass suffrage Mass suffrage
social-political suffrage and mass
inclusion suffrage

Principal goals Distribution Social Social Politics as
of politics of privileges reformation (or amelioration profession
opposition to it)

Nature of party Irrelevant Labour-intensive Both labour- Capital-intensive
work and intensive and
campaigning capital-intensive

Principal source Personal Members’fees Contributions State subventions
of party’s contacts and contributions from a wide
resources variety of sources

Party channels of Inter-personal Party provides its Party competes Party gains
communication networks own channels of for access to non- privileged access
communication party channels of to state-regulated
communication channels of
communication
The Professionalisation of Political Communication

However, this vision of a world in turmoil can be misleading since there are also
continuities: there are some commonly understood ideas about ‘what works’ on
television or in the press that can often be applied across decades and media. But even
these may need to adapt to changing circumstances. The advice given by Joe
McGinniss (1970) to the Richard Nixon team in the 1968 presidential campaign
probably differs little from what contemporary consultants would offer a candidate
running for president in 2004. It included advice on what types of curtains, chairs,
members of panels, and sets one should use whilst making a television broadcast,
although allowances would have to be made for changes in fashion. Similarly, one
could argue that those who appear in the audio-visual media must always look sincere,
friendly and trustworthy! So, there are continuities but there are also moments of rapid
and radical change to what is seen to ‘work’ and ‘not work’: judgments often made by
experts and professionals as they monitor changing times.

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