Intra-party Conflict: Conceptual and Empirical Perspectives

Abstract

This panel brings together conceptual and empirical papers concerned with the study of internal party conflict. We argue that a deeper understanding of this increasingly important phenomenon requires both gaining a deeper theoretical understanding on the nature and sources of intra-organizational conflict, as well as empirical studies pinning down how parties deal with different types of conflict and its consequences. For instance, party organizations need to reconcile conflicts when taking contentious internal decisions to maintain their membership, a challenge to which communicative strategies are central which we still know little about. Particular substantive areas might be especially prone to spark internal divisions, such as national referendums that might polarize society in a way cross-cutting central dimensions structuring inter-party competition. More generally, the panel stresses the need for more research on the conditions under which internal conflict might constitute a strategic opportunity for (certain) intra-party actors rather than merely a problem that needs to be avoided or, if it emerges, supressed or at best managed to contain its costs, to date still the dominant perspective on intra-party conflict and its repercussions.

Title	Details
The Study of Intra-Party Friction: A Conceptual Assessment of Preference Heterogeneity, Disagreement, and Conflict	View Paper Details
Can political parties narrow the winner-loser gap? The moderating impact of strategic communication on winning and losing party members’ attitudes and behaviour	View Paper Details
Referendums and Intra-Party Conflict in Europe	View Paper Details
Intra-party negativity and criticism of party leaders in Italy	View Paper Details
Is intraparty regulated conflict vital for liberal democracy?	View Paper Details