How to Run and Represent a Party – new introductory course

Political parties play a significant role in viable democracies. They act as key actors in the struggle for democratic, free, and equitable societies.

When political parties function well, they are not only involved in creating policy in parliaments or in running campaigns. They also help ordinary people to have political and democratic influence. And they function as a link between citizens and the political power – by bringing together voters, making them members, educating them, and mobilizing them to make their voices heard. Parties, in a sense, become a tool for people to exert influence.

Palme Center’s cooperation with parties

The Palme Center cooperates with Social Democratic sister parties around the world. Our aim is to strengthen their ideological and organisational capacity. Because to be a democratic and resilient actor is an important factor in order to become a key driver for progressive change in one’s country and community.

The course

The study material covers key areas that will help you form, organize, develop, and represent a democratic party. It is aimed at leaders and active members of Social democratic parties around the world. And it can be used to design ones own party trainings on the various topics.

– We know that education is crucial in a democracy. The same goes for successful Social democratic political parties that want to effect change within their contexts. We have developed this material in six modules about how to run and represent a party, to give inspiration to our sister parties’ training activities as well as our own, says Sanna Eliasson, grant coordinator for political party support.

– The ambition is that not everyone needs to reinvent the wheel, but that we can share existing experiences among each other.

”We know that education is crucial in a democracy. The same goes for sucessful Social democratic political parties that want to effect change”.

The modules cover topics such as formulating policy, holding elections, campaigning and so on.

The material is for leaders and active members of Social Democratic parties around the world. You can use it to design your own party trainings on the respective topics. The materials can also be used for several meetings in the form of a study circle, to discuss the questions and ideas in the various modules.

To the introductory course!