Filling the Void? Populist Radical Right Mass Party Perspectives on Their Democratic Role. 

Scholars in the field of party organisation have claimed that political parties in Europe are losing their traditional function of bridging the gap between citizens and the political elites. Richard Katz and Peter Mair (1995) have famously argued that established parties in power collude to preserve their position. Given that they hardly rely on grassroots members any longer, they have become actors of the state rather than representatives of society. What is more, Peter Mair has spoken about a process of mutual withdrawal from partisan politics, because also citizens have retreated into private life or choose more ad hoc forms of representation. Yet established parties have come under increased electoral pressure from, in particular, populist radical right (PRR) parties. Some PRR parties also buck the trend of declining political engagement by building socially rooted organisations and seeking to expand their memberships. Relying on an analysis of interviews with 125 party elites and 100 active members across four such 'PRR mass parties' in Western Europe, this paper considers the perspectives within these organisations on the role of parties for the functioning of democracy. Do party elites consciously seek to 'fill the void' of party democracy or are they mainly instrumental about the practical or strategic advantages of party membership? And what role do party members see for themselves: merely serving the party's goals or also helping to reconnect political elites with society? Answering these questions helps us to get a clearer perspective on the democratic potential of these PRR parties that are willing to invest in traditional mass party structures, and the lessons their mainstream competitors can learn.