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Making a (Political) Career: Young Party Members and Career‐Related Incentives for Party Membership

Fjellman, Elin LU and Rosén Sundström, Malena LU (2021) In Scandinavian Political Studies 44(4). p.369-391
Abstract
Few empirical studies have investigated career‐related incentives for party membership, including for young party members. Through the lens of rational choice, we ask what career‐related incentives young and active party members consider when calculating costs and benefits of party membership. We argue for a broad understanding of career‐related incentives, including careers outside party politics. The study is based on in‐depth interviews with 25 young party members in Sweden. Our main empirical finding is that the interviewees experience a ‘super‐dilemma’: Although the young party members might consider a political career, they think it is important to leave the party if it departs from their perceived ideology. Hence, these young... (More)
Few empirical studies have investigated career‐related incentives for party membership, including for young party members. Through the lens of rational choice, we ask what career‐related incentives young and active party members consider when calculating costs and benefits of party membership. We argue for a broad understanding of career‐related incentives, including careers outside party politics. The study is based on in‐depth interviews with 25 young party members in Sweden. Our main empirical finding is that the interviewees experience a ‘super‐dilemma’: Although the young party members might consider a political career, they think it is important to leave the party if it departs from their perceived ideology. Hence, these young members must keep non‐political career options open. At the same time, many of the interviewees express concern that their party membership could negatively affect their non‐political career. (Less)
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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Scandinavian Political Studies
volume
44
issue
4
article number
online first
pages
369 - 391
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85105154188
ISSN
1467-9477
DOI
10.1111/1467-9477.12203
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e1107c50-9e8f-4c41-803f-99ead13cc56f
date added to LUP
2021-05-06 09:24:06
date last changed
2022-04-27 01:51:55
@article{e1107c50-9e8f-4c41-803f-99ead13cc56f,
  abstract     = {{Few empirical studies have investigated career‐related incentives for party membership, including for young party members. Through the lens of rational choice, we ask what career‐related incentives young and active party members consider when calculating costs and benefits of party membership. We argue for a broad understanding of career‐related incentives, including careers outside party politics. The study is based on in‐depth interviews with 25 young party members in Sweden. Our main empirical finding is that the interviewees experience a ‘super‐dilemma’: Although the young party members might consider a political career, they think it is important to leave the party if it departs from their perceived ideology. Hence, these young members must keep non‐political career options open. At the same time, many of the interviewees express concern that their party membership could negatively affect their non‐political career.}},
  author       = {{Fjellman, Elin and Rosén Sundström, Malena}},
  issn         = {{1467-9477}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{369--391}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Scandinavian Political Studies}},
  title        = {{Making a (Political) Career: Young Party Members and Career‐Related Incentives for Party Membership}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-9477.12203}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/1467-9477.12203}},
  volume       = {{44}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}