Death of the Dinosaurs? Organisational Resilience and the Survival of Older Mainstream Parties in Czechia
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Europe-Asia Studies |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| web | article - open access |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2025.2455163 |
| Keywords | political parties; organisation; resilience; crisis management; systemic risks; Czechia |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This article examines how organisational strength, leadership change and strategy enable traditional parties in postcommunist Central Europe to survive political and electoral crisis and new party challengers and unexpectedly re-emerge as nationally competitive actors. Case studies of two Czech parties, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the People’s Party (KDU-ČSL), suggest that partial recovery can be achieved by a ‘crisis leader’ who manages risks through strategies of limited reform, focused on mobilising core members and voters in local politics and other second-order venues. The final part discusses how the two parties’ participation in the anti-populist SPOLU alliance superseded their earlier anti-crisis strategies. |
| Related projects: |