In our paper we focus on two recent developments that impact on the organisation of parties which still bare important traces of the mass party from the mid-twentieth century: a) the internal functioning of parties and the increase of formal rights of party members; b) the redefinition of formal members via-à-vis other supporters.
Ad a) Established Dutch parties recently have reconsidered their own functioning. Several parties changed their internal procedures, in particular as regards the formulation of the party manifesto and the selection of the party leader. We analyse these changes and argue that there is a dual development in the Netherlands, with one party, i.e., Wilders’ Party for Freedom, opting for no individual party membership, while other parties are creating more possibilities for members to impact on the profile of their party. In a paradoxical way both trajectories accentuate the (potential) influence of party members.
Ad b) Some parties also are trying to attract other citizens to become involved with the party without becoming a formal member. Experiments with open party primaries and the introduction of other categories such as ‘supporter’, sympathiser’ or ‘sponsor’ next to formal members, may have a major impact on party membership and organization. Among the aspects dealt with in this part of the paper is the (empirical) question how formal members perceive and evaluate these developments. On the basis of the Leiden Party Membership Surveys 2008 and 1999 we explore whether there is support within parties for these developments as regards the concept of party membership, how support has developed, and how differences in support between and within parties can be explained.
