How to reach external citizens? Comparing varieties of transnational party infrastructure

Abstract

AbstractWith a growing number of citizens living abroad, incentives and strategies to reach diasporas have become increasingly important for political actors. National political parties respond to new competitive transnational environments and engage with citizens living outside their country of origin. However, compared to traditional national party organisations, we know little about parties going abroad and what affects varieties in transnational instruments. To address this question, I compare transnational infrastructures of all parliamentary parties in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. By examining official party documents and information from party secretaries and representatives, I evaluate how parties reach external citizens and analyse factors that correspond with their organisational models. I find that internet voting from abroad does not increase the scope and extent of the analysed parties’ physical infrastructure, whereas the ability to donate correlates with more investment into formal party branches abroad. In addition, I argue that larger institutionalised parties are more likely to invest in formal transnational infrastructure, and that left–right wing ideology and populism have little impact on organisational models across the selected countries.