The Organizational Reform of the German Social Democratic Party (SPD) from 2017–2019: Young, Female, and Digital?

Abstract

The organizational reform of the SPD from 2017–2019 included the introduction of online topic forums, which contain a right for its members to make proposals and to speak at party conferences. This article answers the question of why the reform was conducted by uncovering legitimating reasons brought forward by the party leadership and framing them as a causal mechanism of the reform. By using an interpretive process tracing approach, the article contributes to theory building of (digital) party change. It is shown that new online topic forums aim at improved participation possibilities for the party base in decision-making processes. The reasons given for the reform are the defeat in the 2017 federal elections, a change in society’s expectations towards possibilities of digital participation, and engaging young new members who are hostile to traditional party structures. In addition, the so-called online topic forums allow for a location-independent, topic-related networking of members and the possibility of establishing a separate information policy within the party, alongside mass and social media. Moreover, the efficiency of party work is cited as the final justification pattern.