Between Horizontality and Centralisation: Organisational Form and Practice in the Finns Party

Niko Hatakka

doi:10.17645/pag.v9i4.4560

Abstract

This article provides the first comprehensive analysis of the Finns Party’s (Perussuomalaiset [PS]) formal organisation and how it operates in practice. Following the framework of this thematic issue, to what extent does the PS’s organisation follow the mass-party model and how centralised is the party in its internal decision-making? Analysis of party documents, association registries, and in-depth interviews with 24 party elite representatives reveal that the PS has developed a complex organisational structure and internal democracy since 2008. However, the power of members in regard to the party’s internal decision-making remains limited, despite the party’s leadership having facilitated a more horizontal and inclusionary organisational culture after 2017. The study reveals how the party combines radically democratic elements of its leadership selection and programme development with a very high level of centralisation of formal power in the party executive, and how the party organisationally relies on a vast and autonomous but heterogeneous network of municipal associations. The article also discusses how PS elites perceive the advantages of having a wide and active organisation characterised by low entry and participation requirements, and how party-adjacent online activism both complements and complicates the functioning of the formal party organisation.

Highlights

Various scholars have argued that European mainstream political parties have lost their connection with their grassroots and ceased to engage in actively foster‐ ing party activism (Katz & Mair, 1995; Mair, 2013)
The article discusses how PS elites perceive the advantages of having a wide and active organisation characterised by low entry and participation requirements, and how party‐adjacent online activism both complements and complicates the functioning of the formal party organisation
Various scholars have argued that European mainstream political parties have lost their connection with their grassroots and ceased to engage in actively foster‐ ing party activism (Katz & Mair, 1995; Mair, 2013)

Summary

Introduction

Various scholars have argued that European mainstream political parties have lost their connection with their grassroots and ceased to engage in actively foster‐ ing party activism (Katz & Mair, 1995; Mair, 2013). Right‐wing populist parties (RWPPs) have actively started to challenge mainstream political parties’ claim to power (Albertazzi & McDonnell, 2015; van Kessel, 2015). In terms of their organisation, RWPPs have often been regarded as relying on centralised and charismatic lead‐ ership whilst remaining organisationally underdeveloped (Betz, 1998; Taggart, 2000). The interviews were conducted to gain insight into the PS’s internal politics and communication structures, party elites’ narratives regarding the methods and reasons for investing in and socialising activists on the ground, and informal practices that might advance or hinder the power of ordinary members. To complement the analysis of the research interviews and party doc‐ uments, a quantitative description of the development of the party’s member base and its network of associa‐ tions was produced using data gathered from the archive of the Finnish Patent and Registry Office (Finnish Patent and Registry Office, 2021) and secondary sources (see appendix 4 in the Supplementary File)

Short History of the Finns Party

The Finns Party on the Ground

Internet and Social Media in Party Organisation and Activism

Formal and Informal Member Power in the Finns Party

Findings

Conclusions