We have just published a SSRN working paper studying the changing composition of activists of the German challenger party AfD during its formative period.

Drawing on the spatial density of party activists linked to socio-contextual variables and a pre-post design, we demonstrate that the challenger party’s member base has significantly transformed in the course of the party’s institutionalisation. Owing to a rapid influx of new members and the withdrawal of others after an internal split of the party, the share of activists in high-income areas decreased significantly, while it increased in socio-structurally disadvantaged areas within Germany. The findings suggests that the changing member base has fuelled the programmatic radicalisation of the party.

Here you can watch my related research presentation at a coference organised by the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies in Florence.