Free PDF of the paper here: doi.org/10.1017/S000...

Finally, our work answers the call to unpack the foundations of party-building in South Asia, that have often been boxed into characterizations of "clientelism" and "weak parties."

Third, on the lit on party personnel, our work deeps understanding of the political pipeline: how parties recruit from the ground up, how they build and motivate these people.

Second, studies on political campaigns focus on the impacts of ground campaigns on voters rather the _strategies_ behind them as Enos and Hersh (2015) note. This paper falls in the latter camp.

We contribute first to relatively small lit on ground campaigns by clarifying arguments for why leaders’ ability to shape rank and file can be limited, and how this expectation contrasts with other domains like candidate selection.

🌍 These findings highlight the potential for strategic, inclusive recruitment efforts to shape political party development and create a more diverse and skilled volunteer base.

🔄 Long-term results: Even without monetary incentives, strategic recruitment messaging had a lasting impact. Recruits from marginalized groups continued to be involved up to 3 years after the initial campaign.

🚀 Messages emphasizing party ideology and potential candidacy were particularly effective, increasing the recruitment rate by 18-33%. In contrast, highlighting specific policy priorities reduced recruitment.

👩‍🎤 Highlighting gender inclusiveness significantly boosted female and marginalized community participation. Strategies signaling inclusiveness had lasting, though mixed, impacts up to 3 years later!

📈Specific strategies not only increased the number of recruits but also enhanced their diversity in gender, ethnicity, education, and political skills.