Introduction: Do Parties Have a Future?

There is a pervasive sense of crisis around political parties in advanced and emerging democracies, as they lose members, supporters and legitimacy as institutions. The scale of the problem is contested. Commentators disagree about whether parties are in terminal decline or merely readjusting to a series of social, economic and technological changes. Even as their membership and support bases erode, parties continue to dominate legislative and executive institutions. However, there is doubt about how far party elites can continue as robust governing bodies whilst their organisational foundations atrophy.