The Alternative to Occupy:Radical Politics Between Protest and Parliament

In this paper, we compare the political anatomy of two distinct enactments of (leftist) radical politics: Occupy Wall Street and The Alternative, a recently elected political party in Denmark. Departing from Ernesto Laclau’s conceptualization of ‘the universal’ and ‘the particular’, we show how the institutionalization of radical politics (as carried out by The Alternative) entails a move from universality towards particularity. This move, however, comes with the risk of cutting-off supporters who no longer feel represented by the project. We refer to this problem as ‘the problem of particularization’. In conclusion, we use the analysis to propose a conceptual distinction between radical movements and radical parties: While the former is constituted by an infinite chain of equivalent grievances, the latter is constituted by a prioritized set of differential demands. While both are important, we argue, they must remain distinct in order to preserve the universal spirit of contemporary radical politic

Introduktion: Politiske partier på tværs af perspektiver

Introduktion

Organiseringen af Alternativ Politisk Deltagelse: Udkast til en Typologi

The objective of this paper is essentially two-folded. First and foremost, the paper seeks to discuss and prob- lematize the conventional view on political participation as something primarily involving voting and formal party membership. e paper departs from the assumption that the bulk of academic literature on democracy has been overly preoccupied with conventional channels for political participation, and that this myopic view has turned a blind eye towards important enactments of democratic engagement. Building on the discourse theory of Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mou e, the paper thus proposes a conceptualization of ‘alternative’ political participation as something involving counter-hegemonic articulations that strive to challenge the current constitution of society. e second objective of the paper is to propose a typological sketch of the organization of alternative political participation. e purpose of the typology is to provide a framework for exploring the many ways in which alternative political participation is currently being enacted. Based on two mutually constitutive axes (a political and an organizational), the typology describes four types of alternative political organizations. ese ‘ideal types’ are then exempli ed through four illustrative cases. Two of these cases – e Alternative and Occupy Wall Street – are nally examined in detail.

A Study of Control and Commitment in Political Organization

This doctoral study explores the case of The Alternative, a recently elected party in Denmark, by utilizing concepts and methods from organization studies in an effort to understand how a political party manages the process of entering parliament without losing political support. The Alternative was founded in late 2013 as a movement against the unsustainable program of neoliberal capitalism and the ‘old political culture’. However, instead of presenting a list of tangible demands and trademark issues, The Alternative was launches without a political program. During the course of only half a year, the party developed its political program with inspiration from the open-source community by inviting everyone interested to participate in a series of ‘Political Laboratories’. This culminated with the publication of The Alternative’s first program in May 2014 – a document of no less than 63 pages, containing a variety of specific and sometimes controversial policy proposals. On June 18, 2015, the party entered the Danish Parliament with almost five percent of the votes

Introduktion: Politiske rum

Introduktion

Introduction: Populism in the 21st Century: Critical reflections on a global phenomenon

Introductio

Political parties and Organization Studies: The party as a critical case of organizing

Organization scholars have extensively studied both the politics of organization and the organization of politics. Contributing to the latter, we argue for further and deeper consideration of political parties, since: (1) parties illuminate organizational dynamics of in- and exclusion; (2) internal struggles related to the constitution of identities, practices, and procedures are accentuated in parties; (3) the study of parties allow for the isolation of processes of normative and affective commitment; (4) parties prioritize and intensify normative control mechanisms; (5) party organizing currently represents an example of profound institutional change, as new (digital) formations challenge old bureaucratic models. Consequently, we argue that political parties should be seen as ‘critical cases’ of organizing, meaning that otherwise commonplace phenomena are intensified and exposed in parties. This allows researchers to use parties as magnifying glasses for zooming-in on organizational dynamics that may be suppressed or concealed by the seemingly non-political façade of many contemporary organizations. In conclusion, we argue that organization scholars are in a privileged position to investigate how political parties function today and how their democratic potential can be improved in the future. To this end, we call on Organization and Management Studies to engage actively with alternative parties in an attempt to explore and promote progressive change within the formal political system.Output Status: Forthcoming/Available Onlin

Welcome to the party!: Unpacking Party Organizations

First paragraph: As an organizational species, political parties seem to face impending extinction. No matter what yardstick we use to measure their vitality, political parties currently display an undeniable image of terminal crisis. Party membership is approaching rock bottom in most corners of the world, particularly in countries like France and the UK where less than two percent of the population are registered as rank and file (van Biezen et al., 2012). Similarly, voter turnout has plummeted worldwide since the middle of the twentieth century, currently reaching a level well below 70 percent (Solijonov, 2016). Voters' tendency to identify with specific parties is likewise declining due to the reconfiguration of class-consciousness and the emergence of more ‘liquid loyalties’ in the electorate (Ignazi, 2017: 201). Finally, people’s trust in political parties is at an all-time low, with politicians deemed less trustworthy than complete strangers and more dishonest than second-hand car dealers (Newton et al., 2017). As such, it seems fair to conclude, as many have recently done, that the party is over (e.g. Holloway, 2002; Day, 2005; Rosanvallon, 2008; Castells, 2012; della Porta, 2013; Tormey, 2015; Hardt and Negri, 2017)

Welcome to the party!: Unpacking Party Organizations

First paragraph: As an organizational species, political parties seem to face impending extinction. No matter what yardstick we use to measure their vitality, political parties currently display an undeniable image of terminal crisis. Party membership is approaching rock bottom in most corners of the world, particularly in countries like France and the UK where less than two percent of the population are registered as rank and file (van Biezen et al., 2012). Similarly, voter turnout has plummeted worldwide since the middle of the twentieth century, currently reaching a level well below 70 percent (Solijonov, 2016). Voters' tendency to identify with specific parties is likewise declining due to the reconfiguration of class-consciousness and the emergence of more ‘liquid loyalties’ in the electorate (Ignazi, 2017: 201). Finally, people’s trust in political parties is at an all-time low, with politicians deemed less trustworthy than complete strangers and more dishonest than second-hand car dealers (Newton et al., 2017). As such, it seems fair to conclude, as many have recently done, that the party is over (e.g. Holloway, 2002; Day, 2005; Rosanvallon, 2008; Castells, 2012; della Porta, 2013; Tormey, 2015; Hardt and Negri, 2017)