FAQ
Logo of Jagiellonian University

Party Membership Research: Methodological Changes and Challenges

Publication date: 15.11.2024

Teoria Polityki, 2024, Nr 10/Special Issue, pp. 93-112

https://doi.org/10.4467/25440845TP.24.005.20597

Authors

,
Maria Wincławska
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3222-0572 Orcid
All publications →
Anna Pacześniak
Uniwersytet Wrocławski
, Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4782-4432 Orcid
Contact with author
All publications →

Titles

Party Membership Research: Methodological Changes and Challenges

Abstract

The decline in party membership across many democracies has raised significant concerns within numerous political parties. In response, established parties have introduced organisational innovations aimed at enhancing their appeal to potential members. At the same time, the political newcomers often reject traditional party structures in favour of movement-based models, which they perceive as a means to rejuvenate political engagement. However, despite their reluctance to offer conventional memberships, these new political movements actively engage individuals. This article reviews the research methods employed in the study of party membership. Utilising, to some degree, a database created from articles published in “Party Politics”, we examine whether changes in the subject matter and the status of party membership within organisations are reflected in the adaptation of established research methods and techniques. We evaluate whether new methods and techniques provide a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under investigation or if they merely represent superficial innovations or attractive ‘sprinkles’ that do not substantially contribute to generating new knowledge.

References

Download references

Achury, S. et al. (2020). The Consequences of Membership Incentives: Do Greater Political Benefits Attract Different Kinds of Nembers?. Party Politics, 26(1), pp. 5668.

Bale, T., Webb, P., Poletti, M. (2019). Footsoldiers: Political Party Membership in the 21st Century. LondonNew York: Routledge.

Barnfield, M., Bale, T. (2022). “‘Leaving the Red Tories: Ideology, Leaders, and Why Party Members Quit. Party Politics, 28(1), pp. 39.

Borz, G., Janda, K. (2020). Contemporary Trends in Party Organization: Revisiting Intra-party Democracy. Party Politics, 26(1), pp. 38.

Bowler, S., Carreras, M., Merolla, J.L. (2023). Trump Tweets and Democratic Attitudes: Evidence from a Survey Experiment. Political Research Quarterly, 76(3), pp. 13251339.

Caiani, M. et al. (2024). European Narratives and Euroscepticism in the Western Balkans and the EU. London: Routledge.

Creswell, J. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. London: Sage.

Cross, W., Katz, R. (eds.) (2013). The Challenges of Intra-party Democracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Cross, W., Pilet, J.-B. (eds.) (2015). The Politics of Party Leadership: A Cross-National Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Dassonneville, R., McAllister, I. (2023). Are they Different? A Comparative Study of European Populist Party Members. Party Politics, 29(1), pp. 1625.

Dechezelles, S. (2008). The Cultural Basis of Youth Involvement in Italian Extreme-Right-Wing Organisations. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 16(3), pp. 363375.

Eneydi, Z., Linek, L. (2008). Searching for the Right Organization: Ideology and Party Structure in East-Central Europe. Party Politics, 14(4), pp. 455477.

Faucher, F. (2021). An Anthropology of Contemporary Political Parties: Reflexions on Methods and Theory. Ephemera: Theory & Politics in Organization, 21(2), pp. 5375.

Froehlich, D.E. (2023). Mixed Methods and Social Network Analysis. In: R.J. Tierney, K. Ercikan, F. Rizvi (eds.). International Encyclopedia of Education. 4th edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science.

Gauja, A. (2017). Party Reform: The Causes, Challenges, and Consequences of Organizational Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Gauja, A., Kosiara-Pedersen, K. (2021). The Comparative Study of Political Party Organization: Changing Perspectives and Prospects. Ephemera: Theory & Politics in Organization, 21(2), pp. 1952.

Gomez, R., Ramiro, L. (2019). The Limits of Organizational Innovation and Multi-Speed Membership: Podemos and Its New Forms of Party Membership. Party Politics, 25(4), pp. 534546.

Gomez, R., Ramiro, L., Morales, L., Aja, J. (2021). Joining the Party: Incentives and Motivations of Members and Registered Sympathizers in Contemporary Multi-Speed Membership Parties. Party Politics, 27(4), pp. 779790.

Greene, Z., Haber, M. (2016). Leadership Competition and Disagreement at Party National Congresses. British Journal of Political Science, 46(3), pp. 611632.

Gupta, U., Trivedi, G., Singh, D. (2023). Human AI: Social Network Analysis. In: M. Garg, D. Koundal (eds.). Emotional AI and Human–AI Interactions in Social Networking. New York: Academic Press, pp. 213235.

Hartliński, M., Kubat, M. (2020). Leaders of Parties or Parties of Leaders? The Position of Party Leaders and Models of Their Selection on the Example of Poland and the Czech Republic. In: A. Kasińska-Metryka, T. Gajewski (eds.). The Future of Political Leadership in the Digital Age: Neo-Leadership, Image and Influence. New York: Routledge, pp. 124139.

Heidar, K. (2006). Party Membership and Participation. In: J.W. Crotty, R.S. Katz (eds.). Handbook of Party Politics. New York: Sage Publications, pp. 301315.

Ibenskas, R. (2020). Electoral Competition After Party Splits. Political Science Research and Methods, 8(1), pp. 4559.

Ignazi, P. (2020). The Four Knights of Intra-party Democracy: A Rescue for Party Delegitimation. Party Politics, 26(1), pp. 920.

Jacuński, M., Brodzińska-Mirowska, B., Pacześniak, A., Wincławska, M. (2021). Party Organisation and Communication in Poland. London: Palgrave.

Janda, K. (1980). Political Parties: A Cross-National Survey. New York: The Free Press. Junius, N., Matthieu, J. (2023). Who Rules the Deliberative Party? Examining the Agora Case in Belgium. Party Politics, 29(5), pp. 940951.

Katz, R.S., Mair, P. (1992). Party Organizations: A Data Handbook. London: Sage. Katz, R.S., Mair, P. (1994). How Parties Organize: Change and Adaptation in Party Organizations in Western Democracies. London: Sage.

Katz, R.S., Mair, P. (1995). Changing Models of Party Organizations and Party Democracy: The Emergence of the Cartel Party. Party Politics, 1(1), pp. 528.

Katz, R.S., Mair, P. (2009). The Cartel Party Thesis: A Restatement. Perspectives on Politics, 7(4), pp. 753766.

Koivula, A. et al. (2020). Social and Ideological Representativeness: A Comparison of Political Party Members and Supporters in Finland After the Realignment of Major Parties. Party Politics, 26(6), pp. 807821.

Koo, S. (2020). Can Intraparty Democracy Save Party Activism? Evidence from Korea. Party Politics, 26(1), pp. 3242.

Kölln, A.K., Polk, J. (2017). Emancipated Party Members: Examining Ideological Incongruence Within Political Parties. Party Politics, 23(1), pp. 1829.

Maison, D. (2015). Jakościowe metody badań marketingowych. Jak zrozumieć konsumenta. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.

Mazzoleni, O., Voerman, G. (2017). Memberless Parties: Beyond the Business-Firm Party Model?. Party Politics, 23(6), pp. 783792.

Mutz, D.C. (2012). Population-Based Survey Experiments. PrincetonOxford: Princeton University Press.

Noel, H. (2010). Methodological Issues in the Study of Political Parties. In: L.S. Maisel, J.M. Berry (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of American Political Parties and Interest Groups. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 5776.

Norris, P. (1995). Mays Law of Curvilinear Disparity Revisited: Leaders, Officers, Members and Voters in British Political Parties. Party Politics, 1(1), pp. 2947.

Pacześniak, A. (2023). Selection and Election. In: K. Zuba (ed.). The Polish Delegation in the European Parliament: Stability and Cohesion. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 3554.

Pilet, J.-B., Cross, W. (eds.) (2014). The Selection of Political Party Leaders in Contemporary Parliamentary Democracies: A Comparative Study. London: Routledge.

Poguntke, T. (2009). Political Parties and Other Organizations in Handbook of Party Politics. London: Sage.

Poguntke, T., Scarrow, S.E., Webb, P.D. (2016). Party Rules, Party Resources and the Politics of Parliamentary Democracies: How Parties Organize in the 21st Century. Party Politics, 22(6), pp. 661678.

Radecki, M., Gherghina, S. (2015). Objective and Subjective Party Leadership Selection: Regulations, Activists, and Voters in Poland. European Politics and Society, 16(4), pp. 598612.

Rahat, G. (2009). Which Candidate Selection Method is the Most Democratic?. Government and Opposition, 44(1), pp. 6890.

Rahat, G., Hazan, R. (2001). Candidate Selection Methods: An Analytical Framework. Party Politics, 7(3), pp. 297322.

Rahat, G., Shapira, A. (2017). An Intra-party Democracy Index: Theory, Design and a Demonstration. Parliamentary Affairs, 70(1), pp. 84110.

Scarrow, S.E. (2005). Political Parties and Democracy in Theoretical and Practical Perspectives: Implementing Intra-party Democracy. Washington: National Democratic Institute for International Affairs.

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

Scarrow, S.E., Gezgor, B. (2010). Declining Memberships, Changing Members? European Political Party Members in a New Era. Party Politics, 16(6), pp. 823843.

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

Scarrow, S.E., Webb, P.D., Poguntke, T. (2022). Intra-party Decision-Making in Contemporary Europe: Improving Representation or Ruling with Empty Shells?. Irish Political Studies, 37, pp. 196217.

Sobolewska-Myślik, K., Kosowska-Gąstoł, B., Borowiec, P. (eds.) (2016). Comparing Organizational Structures of Political Parties in Central and Eastern European Countries. Krakow: Jagiellonian University Press.

Szwarcberg, M. (2014). Political Parties and Rallies in Latin America. Party Politics, 20(3), pp. 456466.

Tavits, M. (2012). Organizing for Success: Party Organizational Strength and Electoral Performance in Postcommunist Europe. Journal of Politics, 74(1), pp. 8397.

van Haute, E., Gauja, A. (eds.) (2015). Party Members and Activists. London: Routledge.

Van Trappen, S. (2022). Candidate Selection and Ethnic Minority Aspirants: Exploring the Effect of Party Selectors Biases in a PR System. Party Politics, 28(6), pp. 11231135.

Ward, M.D., Stovel, K., Sacks, A. (2011). Network Analysis and Political Science. Annual Review of Political Science, 14, pp. 245264.

Weber, R. (2020). Why do Young People Join Parties? The Influence of Individual Resources on Motivation. Party Politics, 26(4), pp. 496509.

Wincławska, M., Pacześniak, A. (2018). Members of Polish Political Parties in the Process of Inter-Electoral Campaigning. Polish Political Science Yearbook, 48(4), pp. 652662.

Wincławska, M., Pacześniak, A., Brodzińska-Mirowska B., Jacuński, M. (2021). Party Management from the Perspective of Party Members: Evidence from Poland. Problems of Post-Communism, 68(4), pp. 315326.

Wolkenstein, F. (2018). Intra-Party Democracy Beyond Aggregation. Party Politics, 24(4), pp. 323334.

Żuk, P., Pacześniak, A. (2022). Is it Possible to Defeat Right-Wing Populist Authorities by Winning Elections? The Erosion of Democracy and the System of the Triple-Masters Class in Poland. Frontiers of Political Science, 4, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/political-science/articles/10.3389/fpos.2022.1040616/full (accessed: 22.10.2024).

Information

Information: Teoria Polityki, 2024, Nr 10/Special Issue, pp. 93-112

Article type: Original article

Authors

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3222-0572

Maria Wincławska
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3222-0572 Orcid
All publications →

Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4782-4432

Anna Pacześniak
Uniwersytet Wrocławski
, Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4782-4432 Orcid
Contact with author
All publications →

Uniwersytet Wrocławski
Poland

Published at: 15.11.2024

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY  licence icon

Percentage share of authors:

Maria Wincławska (Author) - 50%
Anna Pacześniak (Author) - 50%

Information about author:

Maria Wincławska – Associate Professor of political science at the Faculty of Political and Security Studies of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland. Her main research interests are political parties, party organizations and party systems in democratic countries, as well as party research methodology. E-mail: mariawin@umk.pl.

Anna Pacześniak – Head of the Department of European Political Processes, Institute of European Studies, University of Wroclaw, Poland. Her research interests focus on the comparative political party analysis, Europarties, electoral defeat. E-mail: anna.paczesniak@uwr.edu.pl.

Article corrections:

-

Publication languages:

English