Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Parties and Members in the Twenty-First Century

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Political Party Membership in New Democracies

Part of the book series: St Antony's Series ((STANTS))

  • 167 Accesses

Abstract

Party membership plays a crucial role in party system institutionalisation. However, political party membership is often considered to be a declining phenomenon (Mair & van Biezen, Party Politics, 7(1): 5–21, 2001; van Biezen, Mair, & Poguntke, European Journal of Political Research, 51(1) 24–56, 2012). In the new democracies of central and east Europe, the decreasing value of members, combined with post-communist legacies and the availability of state subsidies, was expected to hinder the development of membership parties (van Biezen, Political Parties in New Democracies: Party Organization in Southern and East-Central Europe, 2003; Kopecký, Political Parties and the State in Post-Communist Europe, 2008). Yet, three decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, considerable variation in party membership levels exists in post-communist democracies. This chapter reviews the literature on party membership and electoral systems, and concludes that there is a lack of research on how electoral rules shape party membership in young democracies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bawn, K., & Thies, M. F. (2003). A Comparative Theory of Electoral Incentives: Representing the Unorganised Under PR, Plurality and Mixed-Member Electoral Systems. Journal of Theoretical Politics, 15(1), 5–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bértoa, C., & van Biezen, I. (2018). The Regulation of Post-Communist Politics. Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bértoa, F. C., & Walecki, M. (2017). Party Regulation and the Reshaping of Party Politics in Poland, in Bértoa, F. C. and Biezen, I. van (2017). The Regulation of Post-Communist Party Politics, Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowler, S., & Farrell, D. M. (Eds.). (1992). Electoral Strategies and Political Marketing. Basingstoke: Houndmills.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bunce, V. (1997). Presidents and the Transition in Eastern Europe. In K. Von Mettenheim (Ed.), Presidential Institutions and Democratic Politics: Comparing Regional and National Contexts. Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carey, J. M., & Shugart, M. S. (1995). Incentives to Cultivate a Personal Vote: A Rank Ordering of Electoral Formulas. Electoral Studies, 14(4), 417–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiru, M., & Ciobanu, I. (2009). Legislative Recruitment and Electoral System Change: The Case of Romania. CEU Political Science Journal, 4(2), 192–231.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cianetti, L., Dawson, J., & Hanley, S. (2018). Rethinking “Democratic Backsliding” in Central and Eastern Europe – Looking Beyond Hungary and Poland. East European Politics, 34(3), 243–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, P. B., & Wilson, J. Q. (1961). Incentive Systems: A Theory of Organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 6, 129–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cox, G. W. (1990). Electoral Rules and the Calculus of Mobilization. Legislative Studies Quarterly, 24(3), 387–419.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deegan-Krause, K., & Haughton, T. (2012). The 2010 Parliamentary Elections in Slovakia. Electoral Studies, 31(1), 222–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denver, D., & Hands, G. (1997). Modern Constituency Campaigning. London: Frank Cass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duverger, M. (1954). Political Parties. Bristol: Western Printing Services Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, J. T., Cutts, D., & Fieldhouse, E. (2011). The Electoral Effectiveness of Constituency Campaigning in the 2010 British General Election: The ‘Triumph’ of Labour. Electoral Studies, 30(4), 816–828.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, J., Fieldhouse, E., & Cutts, D. (2013). Members Are Not the Only Fruit: Volunteer Activity in British Political Parties and the 2010 election, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Political Parties, 16(1), 75–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gauja, A. (2015). The Construction of Party Membership. European Journal of Political Research, 54(2), 232–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gherghina, S. (2015). Party Organisation and Electoral Volatility in Central and Eastern Europe. Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gherghina, S., Chiru, M., & Bértoa, F. (2011). State Resources and Pocket Money: Shortcuts for Party Funding in Romania (CEU DISC Working Paper No. 2011/13). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1845264

  • Hanley, S., & Sikk, A. (2016). Economy, Corruption or Floating Voters? Explaining the Breakthroughs of Anti-Establishment Reform Parties in Eastern Europe. Party Politics, 22(4), 522–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ibenskas, R. (2014). Activists or Money? Explaining the Electoral Success and Persistence of Political Parties in Lithuania. Party Politics, 20(6), 879–889.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, R., & Pattie, C. (2004). Electoral Geography in Electoral Studies: Putting Voters in Their Place. In C. Barnett & M. Low (Eds.), Spaces of Democracy: Geographical Perspectives on Citizenship, Participation and Representation. London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanev, D. (2007). Campaign Finance in Bulgaria. In D. Smilov & J. Toplak (Eds.), Political Finance and Corruption in Eastern Europe. Aldershot: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karp, J., & Banducci, S. (2007). Party Mobilization and Political Participation in New and Old Democracies. Party Politics, 13(2), 217–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katz, R. S., & Mair, P. (1995). Changing Models of Party Organization and Party Democracy: The Emergence of the Cartel Party, Party Politics, 1(1), 5–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirchheimer, O. (1969). The Transformation of the Western European Party System. In F. S. Burin & K. L. Shell (Eds.), Politics, Law and Social Change: Selected Essays of Otto Kirchheimer. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitschelt, H. (2001). Divergent Paths of Postcommunist Democracies. In L. Diamond & R. Gunther (Eds.), Political Parties and Democracy. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitschelt, H., Mansfeldova, Z., Markowski, R., & Tóka, G. (1999). Post-Communist Party Systems: Competition, Representation and Inter-Party Co-operation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kopecký, P. (2008). Political Parties and the State in Post-Communist Europe. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, P. G., & Gortat, R. (1995). Models of Party Development and Questions of State Dependence in Poland. Party Politics, 1(4), 599–608.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mair, P., & Katz, R. S. (1997). Party Organization, Party Democracy and the Emergence of the Cartel Party. In P. Mair (Ed.), Party System Change: Approaches and Interpretations. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mair, P., Müller, W. C., & Plasser, F. (Eds.). (2004). Political Parties and Electoral Change. London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mair, P., & van Biezen, I. (2001). Party Membership in Twenty European Democracies. Party Politics, 7(1), 5–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • May, J. (1973). Opinion Structure of Political Parties: The Special Law of Curvilinear Disparity. Political Studies, 21(2), 135–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazzoleni, O., & Voerman, G. (2017). Memberless Parties: Beyond the Business-Firm Party Model? Party Politics, 23(6), 783–792.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Panebianco, A. (1988). Political Parties: Organization and Power. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen, K. (2004). From Aggregation to Cartel? The Danish Case. In K. Lawson & T. Poguntke (Eds.), How Political Parties Respond: Interest Aggregation Revisited. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinto-Duschinsky, M. (2002). Financing Politics: A Global View. Journal of Democracy, 13(4), 69–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, R. (1995). Mobilizing Demobilized Voters in Post-Communist Societies. Party Politics, 1(4), 549–563.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rybář, M. (2006). Powered by the state: The role of public resources in party-building in Slovakia, Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, 22(3), 320–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scarrow, S. E. (1995). Political Parties and Their Members: Organizing for Victory in Britain and Germany. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scarrow, S. E. (2014). Beyond Party Members: Changing Approaches to Partisan Mobilization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Scarrow, S. E., Webb, P. D., & Poguntke, T. (2017). Organizing Political Parties: Representation, Participation and Power. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Shugart, M. S. (2001). Electoral “Efficiency” and the Move to Mixed Member Systems. Electoral Studies, 20(2), 173–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sikk, A. (2003). A Cartel Party System in a Post-Communist Country? The Case of Estonia. Paper Presented for the ECPR General Conference, Marburg, 18–21 September 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spirova, M. (2005). Political Parties in Bulgaria: Organizational Trends in Comparative Perspective. Party Politics, 11(5), 601–622.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swanson, D. L., & Mancini, P. (Eds.). (1996). Politics, Media and Modern Democracy: An International Study of Innovations in Electoral Campaigning and Their Consequences. Westport, CT: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tavits, M. (2012). Organizing for Success: Party Organizational Strength and Electoral Performance in Postcommunist Europe. The Journal of Politics, 74(1), 83–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tavits, M. (2013). Post-Communist Democracies and Party Organization. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • V Dem: Varieties of Democracy. (2018). Autocratization in Hungary and Turkey. V Dem Institute. Retrieved January 27, 2020, from https://www.v-dem.net/en/news/autocratization-hungary-and-turkey/

  • van Biezen, I. (2003). Political Parties in New Democracies: Party Organization in Southern and East-Central Europe. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • van Biezen, I. (2004). Political Parties as Public Utilities. Party Politics, 10(6), 701–722.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Biezen, I., Mair, P., & Poguntke, T. (2012). Going, Going… Gone? The Decline of Party Membership in Contemporary Europe. European Journal of Political Research, 51(1), 24–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weldon, S. (2006). Downsize My Polity? The Impact of Size on Party Membership and Member Activism. Party Politics, 12(4), 467–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whiteley, P. F., & Seyd, P. (2002). High-Intensity Participation: The Dynamics of Party Activism in Britain. Ann Arbor, MI: The University of Michigan Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Zittel, T., & Gschwend, T. (2008). Individualised Constituency Campaigns in Mixed-Member Electoral Systems: Candidates in the 2005 German Elections. West European Politics, 331(5), 978–1003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Political Developments, Landsmeer, The Netherlands

    Alison F. Smith

Authors
  1. Alison F. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Smith, A.F. (2020). Parties and Members in the Twenty-First Century. In: Political Party Membership in New Democracies. St Antony's Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41796-3_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation