Abstract
Party membership is usually explained either by resource-based models such as the socioeconomic standard model or with the incentives that a membership can provide. The former approach stresses the role of skills, availability, and social position, while the latter explains membership as an individual cost–benefit calculation. These two aspects are likely interlinked, but so far no empirical combination of both explanations exists. This analysis conventionalizes a typology of young party members that links incentives and resources. A survey among young party members of the German Social Democratic Party (N = 4006) shows that three different types of members can be identified combining incentives and resources. I present a membership typology where the basic conflict between members is whether they seek professional benefits.
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