Downsize My Polity? The Impact of Size on Party Membership and Member Activism

Abstract

This study examines a long-standing concern in democratic theory: the relationship between polity size and democratic participation. Size is thought to have a direct effect on the individual's proclivity to take part in collective action, as well as indirect effects through increased bureaucratic complexity and group heterogeneity – two factors often related to group size. The study operates at two levels. At the nation-state level, it examines the relationship between size and party membership rates in 27 representative democracies. It then extends the analysis to the party organization level, examining the effect of party size on members' activism in 29 parties across 5 advanced industrial democracies. The results show that increasing size strongly diminishes participation at both levels.