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Electoral & Non-Electoral Politics

How protest movements and electoral politics interact — through movement parties, protest voters, and the fluid boundary between the street and the ballot box.

Journal Article 2026

One foot in parliament, one on the streets: Studying the fluid relation between individual participation and party evaluations of protest

Felipe G. Santos, Mathias Hoffmann, and Dan Mercea

Party Politics

This article examines the relationship between individual protest participation and how that participation shapes evaluations of political parties that endorse street politics. Using survey data from five European countries, we show that protesters do not simply evaluate parties that validate their actions more positively — the relationship is conditional on ideological alignment, party credibility, and the type of protest involved. The findings challenge simple accounts of movement-party linkages.

Why it matters: Reveals that the bridge between street movements and electoral politics is more complex — and more fragile — than political observers assume.

Journal Article 2024

Policy over Protest: Experimental Evidence on the Drivers of Support for Movement Parties

Felipe G. Santos and Dan Mercea

Perspectives on Politics

What drives electoral support for movement parties — their policy positions or their protest activities? Using conjoint and vignette survey experiments across five European countries, this article shows that voters primarily respond to policy content, not protest tactics. Party credibility as a governing actor matters more than whether it endorses street politics. These findings reframe debates about the electoral appeal of movement parties and challenge assumptions that protest activities function as electoral signals.

Why it matters: Settles a longstanding debate in the literature by showing, with experimental evidence, that voters care more about what movement parties stand for than how they protest.

Journal Article 2024

Young democrats, critical citizens, and protest voters: Studying the profiles of movement party supporters

Felipe G. Santos and Dan Mercea

Acta Politica

Who supports movement parties? This article develops a typology of movement party supporters — distinguishing between ideologically aligned young democrats, critical citizens sceptical of all parties, and protest voters using movement parties as an expressive outlet. Using cluster analysis of survey data, we show that these profiles have distinct implications for party stability, voter loyalty, and democratic quality.

Why it matters: Explains why movement party electoral support is often volatile — the coalition of supporters is internally fragmented and driven by very different motivations.