PARTY CHANGE AND CONTINUITY IN AMSTERDAM - AN EMPIRICAL-STUDY OF LOCAL ORGANIZATIONAL ADAPTATION

The study of party organization has recently re-emphasized the changin g nature of party structures and the probable connections of such orga nizational adaptation to both the changing environment under which par ties work and party survival. This study is an empirical effort to pre cisely describe the conditions of organizational change in local parti es and then to assess how this co-varies with their vote. The setting is Amsterdam and the time period 1961-93. The database comprises surve ys of the leaders of the major parties undertaken in 1961, 1976 and 19 93, focusing on three aspects of party organizational change: social c lientele renewal, ideological change, and variations over time in acti vists' involvement in the local organization. Significant differences are found by party, by time period, and by organizational adaptation c omponent. There does seem to be a linkage for certain parties between adaptive strategies and the increase or decrease in their vote.