AdaptInfra Subproject 8: Political Parties as an infrastructure for political decision-making in rural and peripheral areas

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jochen Müller
• Subject Area: Political Science
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 547031340

This project analyzes political parties as democratic infrastructure in rural and peripheral areas, using the region of Vorpommern (Northeastern Germany) as a case study. It aims to understand the interplay between organizational presence, programmatic positioning, and the broader infrastructural conditions in structurally disadvantaged regions. Two guiding research questions frame the project: 1. To what extent do parties’ organizational presence and activities in rural and peripheral regions differ from other areas in Germany? Are parties truly retreating from these areas, or are they adapting their organizational practices to new conditions (e.g., increased digitalization or supra-local coordination)? 2. How do political parties frame rural regions in their programs, and what narratives and policy solutions do they propose in response to infrastructural deficiencies? To answer these questions, the project combines two complementary research perspectives: Organizational analysis: This dimension explores whether and how parties maintain local organizational infrastructure under adverse structural conditions. We collect data on membership trends, the density and activity of local branches, physical infrastructure, candidate profiles, and the connections between local and upper-level party structures. A special focus is placed on the 2011 administrative reform in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which merged smaller districts into larger administrative units. This reform serves as a natural experiment, as it abruptly altered institutional conditions (e.g., by forcing party mergers, redrawing responsibilities, or increasing physical distance to administrative centers). The project leverages this context to examine how parties adapt to such systemic changes. In addition, we exploit intra-regional variation within Vorpommern - contrasting the counties Vorpommern-Rügen and Vorpommern-Greifswald, as well as urban centers (e.g., Greifswald, Stralsund) and rural hinterlands. This most-similar-systems design strengthens internal validity and allows us to differentiate patterns of organizational resilience or erosion. Programmatic analysis: Based on all state election manifestos (1990-2024) from relevant parties in 13 German states (excluding the city-states), we assess how rural spaces are addressed - focusing on agenda-setting, problem framings, proposed solutions, and narratives of territorial (in)justice. We also examine whether and how parties engage programmatically with the adaptation challenges highlighted in other subprojects (e.g., in health or public safety infrastructure). By linking these two perspectives, the project provides insight into how parties respond to structural marginalization in rural and peripheral areas - both organizationally and programmatically - and whether they continue to function as a core component of democratic infrastructure in these regions.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 5893: Adaptation processes of infrastructures for services of general interest in rural peripheral areas (Adaptlnfra)
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Stefan Ewert