Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 121-139 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | European Politics and Society |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 4 Mar 2020 |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2021 |
Abstract
Does the probability to join a political party, to become a party functionary, and to leave a party depend on individuals’ socioeconomic status? Political parties are central mediating actors between the population and the state; thus, it is reasonable to assume that unequal participation within parties fosters unequal political representation. However, due to data limitations no study has hitherto examined the social selectivity of the whole party membership cycle. We shed light on these issues by analysing original data from the German Party Membership Study 2017. We find that socially disadvantaged individuals are less likely to become and to stay party members and have a lower proclivity for holding political offices. These effects persist even after controlling for social-psychological variables and the general incentives for party membership. However, in line with recent findings on voter turnout we show that social selectivity is partly mediated by political efficacy.
Keywords
- joining parties, leaving parties, Party membership, political inequality, political office holder
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences(all)
- Political Science and International Relations
- Social Sciences(all)
- Sociology and Political Science
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In: European Politics and Society, Vol. 22, No. 1, 01.2021, p. 121-139.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Getting in, moving up, dropping out. The threefold social selectivity of participation in political parties
T2 - An empirical analysis of party members, former party members and the general public in Germany in 2017
AU - Springer, Frederik
AU - Klein, Markus
AU - Lüdecke, Yvonne
AU - Becker, Philipp
AU - Czeczinski, Lisa
AU - Schmidt, Bastian
N1 - Funding Information: This article is based on research funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [DFG grant KL 1385/2-1 and SP 1645/1-1].
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - Does the probability to join a political party, to become a party functionary, and to leave a party depend on individuals’ socioeconomic status? Political parties are central mediating actors between the population and the state; thus, it is reasonable to assume that unequal participation within parties fosters unequal political representation. However, due to data limitations no study has hitherto examined the social selectivity of the whole party membership cycle. We shed light on these issues by analysing original data from the German Party Membership Study 2017. We find that socially disadvantaged individuals are less likely to become and to stay party members and have a lower proclivity for holding political offices. These effects persist even after controlling for social-psychological variables and the general incentives for party membership. However, in line with recent findings on voter turnout we show that social selectivity is partly mediated by political efficacy.
AB - Does the probability to join a political party, to become a party functionary, and to leave a party depend on individuals’ socioeconomic status? Political parties are central mediating actors between the population and the state; thus, it is reasonable to assume that unequal participation within parties fosters unequal political representation. However, due to data limitations no study has hitherto examined the social selectivity of the whole party membership cycle. We shed light on these issues by analysing original data from the German Party Membership Study 2017. We find that socially disadvantaged individuals are less likely to become and to stay party members and have a lower proclivity for holding political offices. These effects persist even after controlling for social-psychological variables and the general incentives for party membership. However, in line with recent findings on voter turnout we show that social selectivity is partly mediated by political efficacy.
KW - joining parties
KW - leaving parties
KW - Party membership
KW - political inequality
KW - political office holder
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85080931878&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.15488/12830
DO - 10.15488/12830
M3 - Article
VL - 22
SP - 121
EP - 139
JO - European Politics and Society
JF - European Politics and Society
SN - 2374-5118
IS - 1
ER -