Party Reform is a new comparative study of the politics of party organization. The book provides a novel perspective in party scholarship and develops the concept of ‘reform’ as distinct from evolutionary and incremental processes of party change. As an outcome, reform is captured in deliberate and often very public changes to parties’ organizational rules and processes. As a process, it offers a party the opportunity to ‘rebrand’ and publicly alter its image, to emphasize certain strategic priorities over others, and to alter relationships of power within the party. Analysing the last ten yea ... More

Party Reform is a new comparative study of the politics of party organization. The book provides a novel perspective in party scholarship and develops the concept of ‘reform’ as distinct from evolutionary and incremental processes of party change. As an outcome, reform is captured in deliberate and often very public changes to parties’ organizational rules and processes. As a process, it offers a party the opportunity to ‘rebrand’ and publicly alter its image, to emphasize certain strategic priorities over others, and to alter relationships of power within the party. Analysing the last ten years of party reform across a handful of established democracies including Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Germany, the book examines what motivates political parties to undertake organizational reforms and how they go about this process. The book demonstrates that declining party memberships have had a fundamental effect on the way in which political parties ‘sell’ organizational reform: as part of a broader rhetoric of democratization, of re-engagement, and of modernization delivered to diverse audiences—both internal and external to the party. The chapters focus particularly on four key reform initiatives that begin to blur the traditional boundaries of party: the introduction of primaries, the changing meaning of party membership, issues-based online policy development, and community organizing campaigns. Using these cutting-edge developments as primary examples, this book provides a framework for understanding why, and how, reforms occur, and what the consequences might be in terms of participation and representation.