This article questions assumptions in the literature dealing with party decline. First, European aggregate membership data do not support a general conclusion of party decline. Second, individual-level data for Norway demonstrate the complexities of the relationship between membership, party identification, activity in parties, and membership stability. Third, we discuss societal changes commonly associated with party decline, such as the rise of corporatism, the new political movements, and the rise of the electronic media. The aurthors argue that these developments change the structural position of parties (external) and the relationship between different levels of the party organization itself (internal). While such developments may lead to party decline, they also give party organizations new political maneuverability. Furthermore, the growth of new parties, the politicization of new arenas, and the nationalization of party apparatuses counteract the factors associated with party decline.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Allden, L. (1981). Medlemmene i sosialistisk folkeparti. Unpublished thesis, University of Oslo.
2.
Bartolini, S. (1983). The membership of mass parties: The Social Democratic experience. In H. Daalder & P. Mair (Eds.), Western European party systems (pp. 177-220). London: Sage.
3.
Botella, J. C. (1987). Does party membership really not matter? In search of an electoral model for mass parties. Paper presented at the ECPR Joint Sessions, Amsterdam.
4.
Burrell, B. C. (1986). Local political party committees: Task performance and organizational vitality. Western Political Quarterly, 39(1), 48-66.
5.
Byrd P. (1987). Great Britain: Parties in a changing party system. In A. Ware (Ed.), Political Parties: Electoral change and structural response (pp. 205-225). Oxford: Blackwell.
6.
Christofferson, U. , Molin, B., Månsson, L., & Strømberg, L. (1972): Byråkrati och politik. Stockholm: Bonniers.
7.
Codding, Jr., G.A. , & Safran, W. (1978). Ideology and politics: The socialist party of France, Boulder, CO: Westview.
8.
Conway, M. M. , & Feigert, F. B. (1968). Motivation, incentive systems and the political party organization. American Political Science Review. 62(4), 1159-1173.
9.
Det Norske Arbeiderparti . (1983). Organisasjonskomiteens Innstilling. Oslo: Author.
10.
Daalder, H. (1987). The Dutch party system: From segmentation to polarization - and then? In H. Daalder (Ed.), Party systems in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Belgium (pp. 193-284). London: Pinter.
11.
Dalton, R. C. (1988). Citizen politics in Western democracies. Chatham, NJ: Chatham House.
12.
Dalton, R. C. , Flanagan, S. C., & Beck, P. A. (Eds.). (1984). Electoral change in advanced industrial democracies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
13.
Dewachter, W. (1987). Changes in a particratie: The Belgian party system from 1944 to 1986. In H. Daalder (Ed.), Party systems in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Belgium (pp. 285-364). London: Pinter.
14.
Deschouwer, K. (1986). Political parties as organizations: A contingency approach. Paper presented to the 11th World Congress of Sociology, New Dehli.
15.
Falke, W. (1982). Die Mitglieder der CDU. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot.
16.
Gerlich, P. (1987). Consociationalism to competition: The Austrian party system since 1945. In H. Daalder (Ed.), Party systems in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Belgium (pp. 61-106). London: Pinter.
17.
Harmel, R. E. (Ed.). (1985). New political parties. International Political Science Review, 6(4).
18.
Haungs, P. (1983). Die Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (CDU) und die Christlich Sozial Union in Bayern (CSU). In H. Veen (Ed.), Christlich-demokratische und konservative Parteien in Westeuropa: Vol. 1. Schøning: Paderborn.
19.
Heidar, K. (1988). Partidemokrati på prøve: Norske partieliter i demokratisk perspektiv. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
20.
Heiskanen, I. , & Sinkkonen, I. (1975). From legalism to information technology and politicization: The development of public administration in Finland (Research reports). Helsinki: Institute of Political Science, University of Helsinki.
21.
Hirschman, A. O. (1970). Exit, voice, loyalty. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
22.
Irwin, G. , & Dittrich, K. (1984). And the walls came tumbling down: Party dealignment in the Netherlands. In R. Dalton, S. Flanagan, & P. Beck (Eds.), Electoral Change in advanced industrial democracies (pp. 267-297). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
23.
Katz, R.S. (Ed.). (1987). Party governments: European and American experiences. Berlin/New York: de Gruyter.
24.
Kirchheimer, O. (1969). The transformation of the Western European party systems. In J. Lapalombara & M. Weiner (Eds.), Political Parties and Political Development (pp. 177-300). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
25.
Kriesi, H. , & Van Praag, Jr., P. (1987). Old and new politics: The Dutch peace movement and the traditional political organizations. European Journal of Political Research, 15(3), 319-346.
26.
Kristiansen, B. , & Svåsand, L. (1982). The Conservative party in Norway: From opposition to governmental alternative. In Z. Layton-Henry (Ed.), Conservative politics in Western Europe (pp. 103-130). London: Macmillan.
27.
Laegreid, P. , & Olsen, J. P. (1978). Byråkrati og beslutninger. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
28.
Leiphart, J., & Selle, P. (1985). Organisasjonane i Hordaland (Report No. 3). Bergen: Institutt for sammenliknende politikk, Universitetet i Bergen.
29.
Leiphart, J. , & Svåsand, L. (1988). The Norwegian Liberal Party: From political pioneer to political footnote. In E. Kirchner (Ed.), Liberal parties in Western Europe (pp. 304-325). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
30.
Lipset, S.M. , & Rokkan, S. (1967). “Cleavage structures, party systems, and voter alignments: An introduction. In S. Lipset, M. Seymour, & S. Rokkan (Eds.), Party systems and voter alignments (pp. 1-64). New York: Free Press.
31.
Listhaug, O. (1989). Citizens, parties and electoral politics in Norway, 1957-1985. Trondheim: Tapir.
32.
Lorenz, E. (1983). Det er ingen sak å få partiet lite: NKP 1924-1930. Oslo: Pax.
33.
Mair, P. (1987). The changing Irish party system. London: Pinter.
34.
Mjeldheim, L. (1986). Politiske prosessar og institusjonar. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
35.
Norsk Samfunnsvitenskapelig Datatjeneste. (1983). Levekårsundersøkelsen 1983 (Report No. 64). Bergen: Norwegian Social Science Data Services.
36.
Olsen, J. P. , & Sætren, H. (1980). Aksjoner og demokrati. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
37.
Pasquino, G. (1987). Party government in Italy: Achievements and prospects. In R. Katz (Ed.), Party governments: European and American Experiences (pp. 202-242). Berlin/New York: de Gruyter.
38.
Paterson, W. (1987). West Germany: Between party apparatus and basis democracy. In A. Ware (Ed.), Political parties: Electoral change and structural response (pp. 158-182). Oxford: Blackwell.
39.
Pedersen, M.N. (1979). The dynamics of European party systems: Changing patterns of electoral volatility. European Journal of Political Research, 7(1), 1-26.
40.
Pedersen, M.N. (1983). Changing patterns of electoral volatility. In H. Daalder & P. Mair (Eds.), Western European party systems (pp. 29-66). London: Sage.
41.
Pedersen, M. N. (1987). The Danish “working” multiparty system: Breakdown or adaptation? In H. Daalder (Ed.), Party Systems in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Belgium (pp. 1-60). London: Pinter.
42.
Pedersen, M. N. (1988). The defeat of all parties: The Danish Folketing election in 1973. In K. Lawson & P. Merkl (Eds.), When parties fail (pp. 257-281). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
43.
Petersson, O. , Westholm, A., & Blomberg, G. (1989). Medborgarnas makt. Stockholm: Carlssons Bokforlag.
44.
Pizzorno, A. (1983). Interests and parties in pluralism. In S. Berger (Ed.), Organizing interests in Western Europe (pp. 249-286). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
45.
Rantala, O. (1982). Suomen puoleiden muuttuminen, 1945-1980. Helsinki: Gaudeamus.
46.
Reiter, H. (1989). Party decline in the West: A skeptic's view. Journal of Theoretical Politics, 1(3), 325-348.
47.
Rokkan, S. (1966). Norway: Numerical democracy and corporate pluralism. In R. A. Dahl (Ed.), Political opposition in Western Europe (pp. 70-115). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
48.
Rose, L. , & Walldahl, R. (1983). The distribution of political participation in Norway. Scandinavian Political Studies, 5(4), 285-314.
49.
Selle, P. , & Svåsand, L. (1982). Partiorganisasjon og valgresultat: en drøfting av ulike sammenhenger. In D. Anckar, E. Damgaard, & H. Valen (Eds.), Partier, ideologier, valjare (pp. 57-78). Åbo: Åbo Akademi.
50.
Selle, P. , & Svåsand, L. (1983). The local party organization and its members: Between randomness and rationality. Scandinavian Political Studies, 6(3), 211-230.
51.
Selle, P. , & Svåsand, L. (1987). Cultural policy, leisure and voluntary organizations in Norway. Leisure Studies, 6, 347-364.
52.
Selle, P. , & Svåsand, L. (1990). Partiorganisasjon og velgeroppslutning. In G. Djupsund & L. Svåsand (Eds.), Partiorganisasjoner: Strukturer og prosesser i finske, norske og svenske partier. Åbo: Åbo Academy.
53.
Sjøblom, G. (1987). The role of political parties in Denmark and Sweden, 1970-1984. In R. Katz (Ed.), Party governments: European and American experiences (pp. 155-201). Berlin/New York: de Gruyter.
54.
Sundberg, J. (1987). Partimedlemskapets forandrede funktioner i Finland. Politiikka, 29(3), 216-232.
55.
Sundberg, J. (1989). Premisser for politisk massmedlemskap: partierna i Danmark i en nordisk jamförelse. Politica, 21(3), 288-311.
56.
Svåsand, L. (1985). Politiske partier. Oslo: Tiden.
57.
Svensson, P. , & Togeby, L. (1989). Græsrodsdeltagelse mellom politisk mobilisering og interessevaretagelse. In J. Elklit & O. Tonsgaard (Eds.), To folketingsvalg (pp. 328-357). Århus: Politica.
58.
Urwin, D. W. (1983). Harbinger, fossil or fleabite: The regional party mosaic and the European party systems. In H. Daalder & P. Mair (Eds.), Western European party systems (pp. 221-266). London: Sage.
59.
Valen, H. (1973). Norway: “No” to EEC. Scandinavian Political Studies, 8, 214-226.
60.
Valen, H. , & Katz, D. J. (1964). Political parties in Norway. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
61.
Von Beyme, K. (1985). Political parties in Western democracies. London: Gower.
62.
Ware, A. (Ed.). (1987). Political parties: Electoral change and structural response. Oxford: Blackwell.
63.
Ware, A. (1989). Citizens, parties and the state. Oxford: Blackwell.
64.
Williamson, P. J. (1989). Corporatism in perspective. London: Sage.
