Studying Political Parties as Organizations

This book unveils the evolution of the Alternative Party in Denmark, a young political entity that defied traditional structures. Dissecting the unprecedented organisational dynamics of this novel party through a cultural lens, the author opens a new area of enquiry to scholars in the field of management and organization studies.

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This book outlines what it means to study political parties as organizations by developing and applying four theoretical perspectives to the case of an unconventional Green party in Denmark called Alternativet (meaning ‘the alternative’).


Drawing on an ethnographic study, the book tracks the party’s humble origins in 2013 as a social movement through its inaugural term until the 2022 national elections, spotlighting Alternativet's unprecedented organizational dynamics.


By dissecting this ‘party that did not want to be a party’ through classical, configurational, comparative, and cultural lenses, the author opens a new area of enquiry to scholars in organization and management studies.