Talk by Professor Swen Hutter: What's in a Name? How Party Naming Reflects Political Change in Europe

Content description:

Professor Swen Hutter will visit the Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen, invited by the Velux Core Group SoMeVolunteer research project and give a talk on Thursday March 20th, 13-14 in room 16.2.55 at CSS.

Abstract:

Political parties across Europe are rebranding—moving away from traditional labels and adopting new, unconventional names. But what does this shift reveal about broader transformations in party politics? Drawing on an original dataset of party names from 28 European countries (1945–2023) and experimental survey evidence, this talk explores how party names serve as indicators of ideological repositioning, movement influence, and electoral strategy. Why are opposition groups, new parties, and right-wing actors more likely to abandon classical naming conventions? And do these rebranding efforts actually pay off at the ballot box? The findings challenge common assumptions about political marketing, shedding new light on the evolving relationship between electoral and movement politics in contemporary democracies.

Swen Hutter is a Professor of Political Sociology and Director of the Center for Civil Society Research at Freie Universität Berlin and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center