Digital technology is changing party politics, the interesting question is how

It is evident from the 2017 general election, writes Kate Dommett, that digital technology has been fully embraced by political parties and incorporated into campaigning strategies. It is also creating opportunities for satellite campaigns to mobilise citizens. Longer term, digital innovations have the potential to reshape the nature of engagement between citizens and parties, though these more fundamental changes are not yet being implemented

Three reasons why online political advertising remains largely unregulated in the UK

Junyan Zhu and Kate Dommett ask whether attempts to regulate online political adverts have been hindered by the particular characteristics of digital technology or by wider political factors. Presenting new interview data, they identify three barriers: political reticence, logistical challenges and conflicting policy proposals

Membership organisations: how to boost numbers and activate engagement

To help organisations increase their number of active members, Kate Dommett and Sam Power explain how people decide whether to join (and remain in) an organisation, as well as what may be keeping them from participating in its activities

Changing Politics: Towards a New Democracy

In October 2014 the PSA joint-funded a Consultation event ‘Changing Politics – Towards a New Democracy’ with St. George’s House. The Chair of the PSA, Professor Matthew Flinders, chaired the event which brought together participants from a range of fields (including academics, think tankers and practitioners in several policy areas). Today, St. George’s House has published a report which highlights the main themes emerging from the discussion as well as some conclusions and recommendations. It identifies several areas where changes are urgently needed to reinvigorate democracy. The report concludes that to fully succeed in addressing the growth of political apathy and disengagement, parties and leaders must forget their differences and join citizens, academics, charities and others to address this problem with all available energy and resources

The business of elections: transparency and UK election spending

Stories about political donations often grab the headlines, but how do parties spend the money they take in? Kate Dommett and Sam Power report on a new project that has looked for answers – and found many concerning gaps in the information about election spending

The business of elections: transparency and UK election spending

Stories about political donations often grab the headlines, but how do parties spend the money they take in? Kate Dommett and Sam Power report on a new project that has looked for answers – and found many concerning gaps in the information about election spending

Regulating the Business of Election Campaigns: Financial transparency in the influence ecosystem in the United Kingdom

The business of running election campaigns is integrated into democratic practices in countries around the world, yet little attention has been paid to the organizations that profit from working with political parties, or to the accountability mechanisms that surround this industry. Whilst the Cambridge Analytica scandal helped to bring more attention to the problematic aspects of electoral business, there remain many urgent and yet unanswered questions about who these suppliers are, what role they play in politics, and whether current transparency disclosures are fit for purpose. This Report takes a deep dive investigation into the UK 2019 general election and offers a unique examination of the role of election suppliers in the UK. Scrutinizing the UK’s public electoral spending database, this Report advances our understanding of the nature of modern campaigns by revealing what services external suppliers are providing to parties in election campaigns.</jats:p