Studium Generale | Political Parties: Fit for the Future? | Susan Scarrow and Gerrit Voerman

Political parties hold a central place in contemporary democracies. However, the function and role of the political party is being questioned more and more. Less than three percent of the Dutch voters are members of a political party, and the number of parties (and factions) is historically high. Political scientist Susan Scarrow explores the history of the evolution of political parties in European democracies since the 1970s. How did parties respond to new challenges of representation? What do the current developments say about the state of our contemporary democracy? 

Historian Gerrit Voerman will forecast the coming elections for the House of Representatives. He expects the volatility of the voters - which has become a striking feature of present politics - to be historically high. What should we take away from this development? Will traditional party structures endure, or are we witnessing a transformation? 

This lecture is organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the DNPP by the Documentation Centre for Dutch Political Parties (DNPP), in collaboration with Studium Generale Groningen, and sponsored by The Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development.