Swedish Green Party Rally at Almedalsveckan 2014 (attended by activists from the anti-nuclear movement and the Feminist Initiative)
My research interests focus on the intersection of social movements, political behavior and party politics. Specifically, I am interested in how political participation beyond voting in national elections shapes political parties and political outcomes. In illuminating the effects of alternative forms of participation, I hope to offer insight into whether the nature of political representation in contemporary democracies. I employ a multi-method approach to address these questions and my dissertation centers on the role social movements play in influencing political parties with movement origins.
Further research projects focus on European referendums (also see publications), the ideological moderation of center-left mainstream parties, the connection between enfranchisement and party system change, and improving teaching methods.
Further research projects focus on European referendums (also see publications), the ideological moderation of center-left mainstream parties, the connection between enfranchisement and party system change, and improving teaching methods.
Dissertation
Political Parties and Social Movements: Mobilizing and Representing Civil Society
Most political parties that emerged in Europe since 1945 have roots in social movements, but unlike older mainstream parties with movement origins they did not adopt an electoral-professional party model focused on pursuing the median voter. Neither have they retained their organizational connections to movements, thus foregoing both the advantages of a ``catch-all'' platform and access to the mobilizing capacity of movement organizations. Why? I employ a multi-method design combining the analysis of voters and movement party success with original data from fieldwork in Sweden and Germany on four movements and the Green and Pirate parties they spawned. I find that movements are incentivized to be organizationally distinct from parties in order to maximize their public support and influence on government policy. Parties cannot, however, break with their movement origins programmatically, because they rely on issue voters who are disappointed with the dominant mainstream party models. Thus movement parties counterbalance the trend towards catch-all and cartel parties and thereby (re-)integrate disaffected citizens into the democratic process. This equilibrium only breaks down when mainstream parties weaken and allow movement parties a path to major party status, as illustrated by recent developments in Southern Europe.
Publications
Blings, Steffen, and Sarah Maxey. 2017. “Teaching Students to Engage with Evidence: An Evaluation of Structured Writing and Classroom Discussion Strategies.” Journal of Political Science Education, 13 (1): 15-32.
Gattig, Alexander, and Steffen Blings. 2013. “Disaffected citizens? Why people vote in national referendums about EU treaty reform.” In Democratising the EU from Below? Citizenship, Civil Society and the Public Sphere, eds. Ulrike Liebert, Alexander Gattig, and Tatjana Evers. Surrey: Ashgate pp. 61–82.
Bargstedt, Matias, Steffen Blings, Christopher J. Anderson, and Russell J. Dalton. 2011. “Macro Level Data.” In Citizens, Context, and Choice. How Context Shapes Citizens’ Electoral Choices, eds. Christopher J. Anderson, and Russell J. Dalton. Oxford: Oxford University Press pp. 257–268.
Essays and Other Writings
“Pressuring Parties: how European Social Movements use Elections to influence Parties.” 2016. Mobilizing Ideas blog. Center for the Study of Social Movements at Notre Dame (September 29). Invited post.
Gattig, Alexander, and Steffen Blings. 2013. “Disaffected citizens? Why people vote in national referendums about EU treaty reform.” In Democratising the EU from Below? Citizenship, Civil Society and the Public Sphere, eds. Ulrike Liebert, Alexander Gattig, and Tatjana Evers. Surrey: Ashgate pp. 61–82.
Bargstedt, Matias, Steffen Blings, Christopher J. Anderson, and Russell J. Dalton. 2011. “Macro Level Data.” In Citizens, Context, and Choice. How Context Shapes Citizens’ Electoral Choices, eds. Christopher J. Anderson, and Russell J. Dalton. Oxford: Oxford University Press pp. 257–268.
Essays and Other Writings
“Pressuring Parties: how European Social Movements use Elections to influence Parties.” 2016. Mobilizing Ideas blog. Center for the Study of Social Movements at Notre Dame (September 29). Invited post.
Working Papers
“Niche Parties and Social Movements: Mechanisms of Programmatic Alignment and Party Success.” (Revise & Resubmit)
“Party Crashers: The Determinants of Left Party Ideological Shifts in Wealthy Democracies” With Stephen Nelson and Christopher Way. (Under Review)
“Exploring the potential for common European politics: Cross-national commonalities and differences in the European constitutional referendums” With Alexander Gattig. (Under Review)
“Staying Alive: How Movement Parties Survive Using Programmatic Linkages to Core Voters.”
“Movement Parties as Programmatic Parties: Substantive Gains and the Electoral Success of West European Green Parties.”
“New Voters, New Parties: When Does Enfranchisement Lead to Party System Change?” With Mallory SoRelle.
“Party Crashers: The Determinants of Left Party Ideological Shifts in Wealthy Democracies” With Stephen Nelson and Christopher Way. (Under Review)
“Exploring the potential for common European politics: Cross-national commonalities and differences in the European constitutional referendums” With Alexander Gattig. (Under Review)
“Staying Alive: How Movement Parties Survive Using Programmatic Linkages to Core Voters.”
“Movement Parties as Programmatic Parties: Substantive Gains and the Electoral Success of West European Green Parties.”
“New Voters, New Parties: When Does Enfranchisement Lead to Party System Change?” With Mallory SoRelle.
