Party digitalization and website features: a comparative study of party organizations

Abstract The emergence of new digital tools has brought about a revolution in party organizations. However, the literature is still lacking comparative studies that utilize comprehensive theoretical frameworks and consider variations in the supply‐side of party digitalization. This paper addresses both shortcomings by turning the spotlight on party websites. By relying on data from the Political Party Database, we delve into the determinants of website functionalities across a spectrum of diverse political parties. Our findings underscore that parties with less centralized leadership and affiliated to the left of the ideological spectrum tend to display websites with a broader range of functions. Moreover, younger parties also tend to present more complex websites, although this effect is mitigated by their electoral strength. Notably, a common thread among most parties is the use of their websites for mobilizing human and financial resources, while interactive features remain less prevalent.