Does the Internet Encourage Political Participation? Use of an Online Platform by Members of a German Political Party

Political parties can play a crucial role in linking citizen preferences to political decision making, but have been criticized for not accomplishing this task. In an attempt to address this linkage problem and enhance policy representation, political parties have recently opened up their decision-making processes and promoted online participation among their members and supporters; for example, by establishing online platforms that allow citizens and party members to discuss policy issues and generate policy proposals. However, in most instances, participation is low. Drawing on the case of the German Green Party and applying three well-established models of offline political participation, the article examines why only some party members and supporters use these channels to communicate their preferences. Comparing users and nonusers, we conclude that socioeconomic resources or attitudes alone cannot explain differences in participation. Instead, participation is motivated by process-related and ideological incentives.