Political parties and democratic innovations: From challenges to consequences
2026-05-21
Despite the popular appeal of democratic innovations and of political parties’ need to reconnect with citizens, many parties are reluctant to embrace innovations - especially in the form of direct and deliberative democracy - either internally or in the wider political system. This is counter-intuitive behaviour on which the literature rarely reflects. This special issue addresses this gap and makes two main contributions to the existing research. Theoretically, it formulates broad questions to be picked up by further research and develops more focused analytical frameworks on how political parties use reforms. Empirically, it enriches the literature about the importance of ideology, explains why party elites and members engage with, avoid or are undecided about democratic innovations, and investigates the consequences of the relationship between parties and new democratic approaches for the political system, society, and decision-making.