E&D Best Paper Prize 2023

From the Standing Group on Extremism and Democracy.

We are pleased to announce Sofia Ammassari as the recipient of the E&D Best Paper Prize for the ECPR General Conference 2023. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Sofia on this well-deserved recognition.

Among a great range of contenders, her paper (“Men’s parties’, but with more active women: Gendered fostered activism in populist radical right parties”) stood out in terms of originality, research rigour and significance to the field. Amidst the expanding landscape of studies on far-right party organisations, this paper tackles this phenomenon's crucial yet often overlooked gendered aspect. The paper opens the ‘black box’ of what actually happens inside these parties’ organisations and suggests that partisan activism among women is primarily promoted by the parties (‘fostered activism’) given their electoral and organisational needs. Ammassari’s work holds significant implications for our understanding of populist radical right (PRR) parties, which have long been conceptualised as 'men's parties.' By delving into the involvement and motivations of female members, the paper challenges entrenched narratives and expands the scope of inquiry in this domain, notably by offering invaluable insights not only for the study of PRR parties but also for understanding party membership dynamics more broadly.

Special thanks to the jury: Petra Guasti, Stijn van Kessel, and Andrea Pirro.