Politica! parties are
intrinsic to every democratic political system, and with
the dramatic changes that regularly sweep the political
landscape, the study of their function and form is one of
the most dynamic areas within contemporary scholarship.
Party Politics is
an international journal devoted to the study of
political parties, party systems, and political
organizations. Founded in 1995 as a quarterly journal and
now published bimonthly, Party Politics provides a
forum for scholars to share their work on topics ranging
from the rise of partisan blocs in newly-democratic
states in central and eastern Europe to the impact of
women on politics.
In 2009, Party
Politics became the official journal of the
of the American Political Science Association.
A NOTE FROM THE EDITORS
The first issue of Volume 9 of Party
Politics [January 2003] coincided with a
change in the editorial team. One of the founding
editors, Ian Holliday, who several years ago moved
from the University of Manchester to the City University
of Hong Kong, has decided to hang up his spurs. Paul
Webb -- who up to this point has been associate and
reviews editor -- has agreed to come on board as a new
co-editor in place of Ian. In turn, Paul's post as
associate and reviews editor is being filled by Aleks
Szczerbiak. The remaining members of the editorial
team are continuing in post.
David and Ken want to take this opportunity to
acknowledge Ian's role as co-editor over the first eight
years of the Journal. Indeed, his crucial role in first
dreaming up the idea for a new journal on party politics
should be noted. For the record, it all dates back to a
time when Ian wrote a short report on a French ecological
party and wanted to find a journal to send it to. As none
were available, he took it upon himself to start the
process of founding one.
The Journal has come a long way since then, including
a move from four to six issues a year, and our
sponsorship of various prizes (including a prize for the
best paper submitted to the Journal by a graduate
student, the Political Organizations and Parties/Party
Politics prize for the best paper presented at a POP
panel at the American Political Science Association's
annual convention, and the Journal's sponsorship of an
annual studentship for the Parties Summer School at Keele
University).
As we approach our first decennial anniversary we can
look back on a busy period in which the Journal has
established its niche. We can only hope that the next
decade is as interesting.
