The missing local dimension: towards a multi-method framework for studying party digitalisation

Research on party digitalisation has focused primarily on national party organisations, leaders and campaign communication, leaving the local dimension of digital change comparatively underexplored. This article argues that the local dimension represents not simply a missing empirical level but also a neglected methodological perspective. It develops a multi-method framework for analysing how digitalisation unfolds across multi-level party organisations. Five approaches are considered: content analysis of digital tools, qualitative interviews with party actors, survey research, expert surveys and the analysis of party documents. Each sheds light on a different aspect of party digitalisation, ranging from digital visibility and governance to individual experiences, organisational capacity and institutionalisation. Since no single method can capture the organisational complexity of digital transformation, integrated research designs are needed to explain variation both between parties and across their local branches.