Not So Different After All? The Party Organization of the Norwegian Progress Party in a Comparative Perspective.

Abstract

How do populist parties organize? Are they different from other parties? Some see them as non-bureaucratic yet centralized movement led by a charismatic leader who embodies the will of the people (i.e. the populist model), while others argue these parties are structured around an authoritarian ‘Führerprinzip’ similar to Duverger’s ‘militia’ type of party (i.e. the extreme right model). Yet others claim these parties have a slim and professionalized organization with extensive use of marketing expertise, polling and focus groups selling a political message at the electoral market (i.e. the business-firm model). However, although many theories have been put forward and party organization is seen as one of the most important determinants of electoral success of populist parties, very few empirical studies exist. In this paper the organization of the long-standing and electorally successful populist party in Norway, the Progress Party, is examined in a comparative perspective. Data comes from longitudinal party membership surveys conducted in all Norwegian parliamentary parties in 1991, 2000 and 2009. The study demonstrates that the Progress Party neither suffers from low levels of internal activity nor from lack of internal democracy. Moreover, members do play a significant role in developing, defending and promoting the party’s policy. Consequently, this analysis shows that the organization of alleged populist parties is perhaps not very different from other parties.