The movementization of political parties: a new trend in party politics?

Abstract This research note examines the evolving nature of political parties in the contemporary era, with a particular focus on the trend of movementization, defined as the process by which political parties adopt organizational, strategic, and discursive elements of social movements to revitalize their declining structures and reconnect with society. While early studies on this phenomenon primarily focused on movement parties—challenger actors that positioned themselves at the intersection of institutional and contentious politics, blending conventional and unconventional repertoires of action—recent developments suggest that movementization is no longer confined to movement-parties only. Instead, it is becoming a broader trend affecting both challenger and mainstream parties across the entire ideological spectrum. This research note aims to review and critically assess the existing literature on movementization, identifying key theoretical and empirical contributions while highlighting unresolved questions and methodological gaps. Although substantial work has been done on individual case studies, the field remains fragmented and lacks systematic comparative analysis. To advance the study of movementization, this note calls for a shift from case-centric approaches toward comparative frameworks, integrating quantitative indicators and cross-national perspectives to better assess the prevalence, drivers, and consequences of this transformation. By doing so, it seeks to contribute to a more structured and generalizable understanding of how movementization is reshaping contemporary party politics.