Low Membership in Czech Political Parties: Party Strategy or Structural Determinants?

Abstract

Political parties in the post-communist countries are said to focus on electoral strategies and not on organization building, which is thought to explain the low membership base of these parties. However, detailed examination of Czech political parties suggests that political parties facing an environment that was hostile to organized partisanship adapted their organizational strategies to make party membership more attractive. Even though they experience a continually falling number of members, or at least their stagnation, the main reason for this lies not in parties' lack of interest in their members, but in psychological barriers among the public.