Dutch and Swiss Party Affiliations: An Historical-Comparative Perspective

This contribution aims to provide an insight in the variation of party affiliation in Western democracies. Despite the increasing interest devoted to party membership and the recognition of the heterogeneity of party affiliation (e.g. formal-unformal, direct-indirect, single-multiple, paid-free, exclusive-inclusive, active-passive etc.), political scientists rarely furnish in-depth analyses of this phenomenon, providing an assessment of the role of the leadership in shaping the conditions of party affiliation and in determining criteria of participation in party activities. Thus, our research question is the following: In which respect and why is party affiliation heterogeneous – within parties, between parties and among political systems? Which is the specific strategic role of the party leadership in order to explain this heterogeneity? Considering the evolution over time (since the 1960s) and regional peculiarities, the analysis will include the main national parties in the Netherlands and in Switzerland.