The cartel party - the end of democratic party evolution?

ABSTRACT Contrary to some interpretations, the cartel party model was never assumed to be an equilibrium end-state. Rather, it was postulated, on the one hand, that cartelization would lead to its own opposition in the form now identified as anti-party-system parties, and on the other hand, that this development would lead to further adaptation on the part of the cartel parties themselves. But is this continuing evolution leading to parties that are more democratic, either in their internal operation or in their contribution to the wider political system? While a number of empirical trends are evident, whether they represent ‘democratic evolution’ depends in large measure upon how one understands democracy itself.