Host Rafael Behr talks to Prof. Tim Bale about why people join political parties and how the members impact democracy.

Topics covered inlcude:

• what people get from joining a political party;
• what parties get from their members;
• why membership of parties has declined;
• in particular why so many Conservative women joined, and then left in their droves;
• how membership differs between the two major parties;
• how the role of members has changed; and
• members impact on the democratic health of the nation

Tim Bale is Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London.

He's the author of several books on British and European party politics, including, Footsoldiers: Political Party Membership in the 21st Century, the research for which was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and generated the website http://esrcpartymembersproject.org.

His most recent book, The Conservative Party after Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation is out on 30 March 2023.

Tim's also a frequent contributor to broadcast and print media in the UK and abroad.

This podcast is hosted by ZenCast.fm

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.