a)
Civil service system - The civil service system is a system of public employment in which government jobs are awarded on the basis of merit, rather than political patronage or favoritism. This has led to a decline in the power of political parties because it has created a professional and non-partisan bureaucracy that is less susceptible to political influence or manipulation by parties.
Primary elections - Primary elections are elections held within a political party to select its candidates for a general election. The rise of primary elections has led to a decline in the power of political parties because it has given voters more direct control over the nomination process and made it harder for parties to control who gets nominated. Primary elections also often attract more extreme and ideologically motivated voters, which can lead to the nomination of candidates who are less representative of the party's mainstream.
b)
Campaign financing is changing in several ways, including the growth of independent expenditure groups and the increasing use of online fundraising. These changes affect the power of political parties because they make it easier for outside groups and individual candidates to raise money and spend it independently of the party. This can make parties less central to the political process and give individual candidates and interest groups more power.
c)
Nonpartisan blanket primaries are primaries in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on the same ballot, and the top two vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party affiliation. This type of primary can be expected to affect the power of political parties because it weakens the role of parties in the nomination process and can lead to the nomination of candidates who are less ideologically aligned with the party's mainstream. It also increases the likelihood of general election contests between candidates from the same party, which can further erode party loyalty and cohesion.