2000/03/01 by Dag Anckar, Carsten Anckar · 2 citations
Social Sciences · #Island Studies and Pacific Affairs #Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration #International Development and Aid
paper · doi:10.1177/0010414000033002003
openalex publication_date 2000/03/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
The belief that modern democracy is party democracy is widespread. However, the belief may be questioned. A number of small independent island states that subscribe to a high extent to democratic values, standards, and institutions manage without political parties. In all, six such cases exist, namely, Belau (Palau), the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Tuvalu. The analysis of these cases is guided by three general assumptions: (a) the impact of diminutive size on the existence and number of parties, (b) the corresponding impact of geographical noncontiguity, and (c) the impact of culturally defined resistances against party life and party rule. Comparisons with conditions in other small island states suggest that the assumptions are valid given that extreme values are entered into the analysis. Extreme smallness, an extremely archipelagic geography, and an intense cultural resistance all contribute to an absence of political parties in democracies.