Democracy without political parties is near impossible today. Anyone interested in the concept and practice of democracy needs to know what political parties are, what they do, especially in a democracy, where they can do better, and how they affect the society they are part of. This is what this book is about. On the one hand, it aims to contribute to the understanding of political parties by presenting the situation and development of parties and party systems from a global perspective, looking at party development in all continents. On the other hand, it contains many pointers about party practices. Every party needs committed members who work for its political goals, but who should also know how parties function and what they can do to participate successfully in political competition.