Jan Schoofs, who contributed to our research project on party reform as Visiting Fellow, sheds light on recent efforts of German parties to adapt their organizations to the changing social, economic, and political environment. He carves out strategies that go beyond merely sustaining robust membership numbers, and states:
The successful member party is a learning party.
Read his full article on the AICGS blog.
As lessons can be drawn from international comparison, you may have a look at the project results here too (German).
Author
Further articles
Buried Villages, Fragile Democracies: Coal, Community, and the Unsteady Politics of the Climate Transition
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The transition away from fossil fuels is as much about democratic resilience as it is about energy. Steve Patterson explores the “political whiplash” of shifting national policies and the enduring struggle to protect community heritage from the erosion of both physical landscapes and institutional norms.
How can the new special fund and the reform of the debt brake achieve optimal effectiveness?
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The CDU/CSU and SPD parties have reached an agreement in the exploratory talks at a remarkable speed to create a special fund for infrastructure and to provide a far-reaching opportunity to increase defense spending beyond the limits of the debt brake. How should these proposals be assessed? What needs to be considered for the sustainable success of this modernization agenda? These questions were discussed on March 7, 2025, in a background roundtable with experts.
Friedrich Merz shattered a political taboo. This is a chance for the centre-left in Germany
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Progressive parties swiftly need to turn the dial, Florian Ranft states in The Guardian. The attention needs to be moved from simply despising the enemies of democracy to what people really expect.




