Between Horizontality and Centralisation: Organisational Form and Practice in the Finns Party

This article provides the first comprehensive analysis of Finns Party’s (Perussuomalaiset [PS]) formal organisation and how it operates in practice. Following framework this thematic issue, to what extent does PS’s follow mass-party model centralised is party its internal decision-making? Analysis documents, association registries, in-depth interviews with 24 elite representatives reveal that PS has developed a complex organisational structure democracy since 2008. However, power members regard party’s decision-making remains limited, despite leadership having facilitated more horizontal inclusionary culture after 2017. The study reveals combines radically democratic elements selection programme development very high level centralisation executive, organisationally relies on vast autonomous but heterogeneous network municipal associations. also discusses elites perceive advantages wide active characterised by low entry participation requirements, party-adjacent online activism both complements complicates functioning organisation.