Impacts and Consequences of Digital Democratic Innovations in Political Parties

Objective/context: In recent years, political parties have undergone significant transformation by adopting digital tools aimed at increasing member engagement and participation in internal processes. Digital democratic innovations have emerged as a key response to the crisis of legitimacy and decl...

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Main Authors: Gema Sánchez Medero, Rubén Sánchez Medero
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidad de los Andes 2025-07-01
Series:Colombia Internacional
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/index.php/colombia-int/article/view/11046
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author Gema Sánchez Medero
Rubén Sánchez Medero
author_facet Gema Sánchez Medero
Rubén Sánchez Medero
author_sort Gema Sánchez Medero
collection DOAJ
description Objective/context: In recent years, political parties have undergone significant transformation by adopting digital tools aimed at increasing member engagement and participation in internal processes. Digital democratic innovations have emerged as a key response to the crisis of legitimacy and declining membership facing traditional parties. This article offers a comprehensive overview of the main digital democratic innovations implemented by political parties, analyzing their forms—such as online platforms, digital primaries, fundraising, and deliberative spaces—and their impact on intraparty democracy. Methodology: Using a descriptive-analytical approach, the article first clarifies the concepts of democratic and digital innovation and then systematically reviews the digital tools used by parties to open new channels for participation and decision-making. It also examines explanatory factors for digitalization, such as party age, size, ideology, and institutional context, and critically assesses the potential and limitations of these innovations. Conclusions: The democratization of political parties through digital means has produced mixed results, falling short of expectations. The article concludes with practical recommendations to enhance meaningful participation, transparency, and inclusivity in intraparty democracy. Originality: The originality of this study lies in its integrative mapping and critical analysis of recent digital democratic innovations in political parties, providing both a broad perspective and nuanced insights into their real-world impact.
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spelling doaj-art-0d3126864d974eeb9c8174b28738cf1b2025-08-20T03:13:35ZengUniversidad de los AndesColombia Internacional0121-56121900-60042025-07-0112310.7440/colombiaint123.2025.01Impacts and Consequences of Digital Democratic Innovations in Political PartiesGema Sánchez Medero0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8047-0472Rubén Sánchez Medero1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8799-5685Universidad Complutense de Madrid - ICCA (Spain)Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (España) Objective/context: In recent years, political parties have undergone significant transformation by adopting digital tools aimed at increasing member engagement and participation in internal processes. Digital democratic innovations have emerged as a key response to the crisis of legitimacy and declining membership facing traditional parties. This article offers a comprehensive overview of the main digital democratic innovations implemented by political parties, analyzing their forms—such as online platforms, digital primaries, fundraising, and deliberative spaces—and their impact on intraparty democracy. Methodology: Using a descriptive-analytical approach, the article first clarifies the concepts of democratic and digital innovation and then systematically reviews the digital tools used by parties to open new channels for participation and decision-making. It also examines explanatory factors for digitalization, such as party age, size, ideology, and institutional context, and critically assesses the potential and limitations of these innovations. Conclusions: The democratization of political parties through digital means has produced mixed results, falling short of expectations. The article concludes with practical recommendations to enhance meaningful participation, transparency, and inclusivity in intraparty democracy. Originality: The originality of this study lies in its integrative mapping and critical analysis of recent digital democratic innovations in political parties, providing both a broad perspective and nuanced insights into their real-world impact. https://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/index.php/colombia-int/article/view/11046digital democratic innovationsintraparty democracyonline political participationpolitical parties and technologypolitical party digitalization
spellingShingle Gema Sánchez Medero
Rubén Sánchez Medero
Impacts and Consequences of Digital Democratic Innovations in Political Parties
Colombia Internacional
digital democratic innovations
intraparty democracy
online political participation
political parties and technology
political party digitalization
title Impacts and Consequences of Digital Democratic Innovations in Political Parties
title_full Impacts and Consequences of Digital Democratic Innovations in Political Parties
title_fullStr Impacts and Consequences of Digital Democratic Innovations in Political Parties
title_full_unstemmed Impacts and Consequences of Digital Democratic Innovations in Political Parties
title_short Impacts and Consequences of Digital Democratic Innovations in Political Parties
title_sort impacts and consequences of digital democratic innovations in political parties
topic digital democratic innovations
intraparty democracy
online political participation
political parties and technology
political party digitalization
url https://revistas.uniandes.edu.co/index.php/colombia-int/article/view/11046
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