When Parties Become Movements: the Movement-ization of Established Party Organizations in Austria, Germany, and the UK

In light of widespread frustration with representative democracy, political parties increasingly imitate social movements—a phenomenon scholars have conceptualized as movement-party hybrids, or movement parties. Strikingly though, research hitherto on the topic focuses on emerging parties and reveals little about movement-ization re-shaping traditional party organizations and, therefore, representative democracy. In 39 qualitative interviews with Social Democratic and Conservative party organizers in Germany, Austria, and the UK, I compare how different established parties experience demands for a movement-ization of their organization. Results show that established parties, too, face pressures to provide social movement-like experiences and de-formalization, yet their adaptation strategies differ as a function of political orientation, organizational heritage, member expectations, and political discontent. Whereas Social Democrats envision a more bottom-up and movement-inspired re-organization yet seriously suffer from the tensions this causes among different member and supporter groups, Conservatives (if at all) embrace movement-ization as a top-down steered strategic re-branding suggesting elevated policy efficacy.