The influence of parties on the policy decisions of governmental leaders is one of the most important questions for democratic societies. It is the "governing function" which affects us all. Does it make any difference how well parties organize, haw effectively they campaign, hoe persuasively they mobilize voters and win elections-for policy outcomes? This is not the only process parties are involved in or the only basic function they perform. Parties engage in a variety of other functions-leadership selection, socialization, communication, agenda setting, government monitoring, and consensus building. But certainly their role in determining policy is a central concern. But they could then share, or yield, center stage in the governmental arena to other groups which are important in governmental action. As V.O. Key said, “There are two radically different kinds of politics: the politics of getting into office and the politics of governing.”