Inside the Black Box

Abstract

This article is a case study of how one of the strongest mass parties of western democracies, the Austrian Socialist Party (SPÖ), largely replaced its mass organization with the survey method and modern means of mass communication as its major links with the general electorate. These party changes are compatible with both an `environmentalist' and a `purposive-action' interpretation. However, party adaptation to environmental changes did not occur automatically, as implied by the `environmentalist' approach. Rather, each innovation met resistance and was introduced only belatedly or half-heartedly. The most elaborate `purposive-action' theory of party change (Harmel and Janda, 1994) fits well with the case of the SPÖ's organizational modernization. Leadership change, change of the dominant faction and external shocks exhaust the factors required to explain party organization change. On the basis of this case study leadership change is considered as the single most important factor.