Can Party Elites Shape the Rank and File? A Recruitment Campaign in India

• In Event: Party Activists, Recruitment and Party-Building

Abstract

The rank and file of a political party performs critical electoral tasks, from sharing party communication with their communities to mobilizing voters on election day. Yet, who comprises the rank and file and why they join is not well understood. We ask, can party elites strategically shape the rank and file, or is the size and composition of it constrained by the supply of volunteers? We study a field experiment carried out by an Indian party that invited 1% of 13 million voters to join its rank and file. We find that, compared to status-quo recruitment, specific levers elites can pull do affect recruitment. Additionally, in contrast to concerns that elite efforts will only yield few and poor-quality workers, we find that the size, diversity, and competence of the rank and file all improve, which is congruent with the party’s strategic objectives. Overall, we provide new evidence on party building that highlights the key role elites can play in shaping the rank and file.

Authors

• Saad Gulzar, Stanford University

• Durgesh Pathak

• Sarah F. Thompson, Stanford University

• Aliz Toth, Stanford University