State regulation and the internal organization of political parties: the impact of party law in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom

Comparative analysis as to the extent to which party law can influence the internal organization of parties in four Commonwealth common law states namely Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. is presented. It is felt that the parties shaped legislative regulation to their advantage by taking good amount of financial support from the state and minimizing the degree of legislative intrusion into their internal activities.