Party Youth Wings Across Europe: Organisation, Influence, and the Future of Party Democracy

Party youth wings play a crucial role in contemporary democracies. They are not only recruitment pools for future politicians but also important platforms for youth participation in representative systems. While academic interest in these organisations has grown—particularly in relation to members’ motivations, and political attitudes—a significant research gap remains. There is still limited insight into their internal structures their relationships with mother parties, and their effectiveness in representing youth interests. Without a deeper understanding of these dimensions, and a stronger integration into the broader literature on party organisation, it remains difficult to assess how effectively youth wings fulfill their functions or whether they can contribute to the revitalisation of party democracy in the long run.

This thematic issue bridges the literature on party organisation with research on youth representation and party youth wings. It explores the following questions:

1. How are party youth wings structured—internally and in relation to their mother parties?

• To what extent are these youth wings formally and informally organised? 
• How do legal and institutional contexts shape their development?
• What (communication) strategies do they employ to recruit and mobilise youth?

2. How do party youth wings exert influence within their parties and in the broader political system?

• What role do they play in candidate selection and political recruitment? 
• To what extent do they represent the interests of young people (and voters)? 
• What is their capacity to revitalise the party democracy in the long term?

Empirically, this issue presents a diverse set of case studies of party youth wings from different party families—including the far right—in different European countries. These cases vary in age, organisational complexity, membership bases, and party system context. Taken together, they offer a rich comparative perspective and establish a foundation for future cross-country analyses. We especially invite contributions focusing on countries in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as in Southern Europe.

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