Reforms to democratize political parties have been observed in many Western democracies. Yet attempts to evaluate their effects have proven difficult. Some scholars consider this trend as a beneficial empowerment of rank-and-file members, others as empowerment of elites by undermining party activists. This paper explores the implications of two problems that nourish such distinct readings: first, there is no consensus with regard to the democratic values (e.g. inclusiveness of decision-making, accountability of elites, representativeness, power-sharing) to be realized by the various mechanisms associated with ‘intra-party democracy’. Second, mechanisms which realize (however defined) democratic values within a nation state, do not necessarily have the same effects when operating within voluntary organizations, a setting which members can freely enter and exit.
In a first step this paper distinguishes basic visions of democracy, the core values they rest upon and the basic requirements for democratic procedures implied by them. In a second step, the trade-offs are discussed that emerge when these procedures operate in the context of voluntary organizations rather than nation states. This is done with a particular focus on party primaries, a mechanism that has been adopted by parties in a variety of forms and – depending on the vision of democracy we choose as our yardstick - can be considered a useful or, in the opposite, counterproductive instrument to foster intra-organizational democratization.
