The project is based on the first cross-national survey of Green party members in Western Europe (14 countries) with respect to ideology and activism. The project maps differences between national Green parties and – provided the history of nationally different movements pooling their resources in Green parties, different national contexts (e.g. NATO states and neutral countries), and different institutions (which allow some Green parties to become major players in politics but confine others to extra-parliamentary existence) – asks whether there is a single, coherent Green ideology. Exploring this research question we ask whether there is a core of values shared by all members in each individual party (e.g. environmentalism and social liberalism) and whether such a shared core exists over the entire cluster of Green parties. Is 'deep Green' only more of the same as 'shallow Green'? And can 'deep Green' coexist with social liberalism and radical democracy? A second line of the project takes a special interest in individual Green parties and develops a more holistic approach. One case of interest to this research team is the Austrian Greens ("Die Grünen – Die Grüne Alternative"). The party now looks back to almost a quarter of a century as a political force at the national level. The project explores to what extent party members have followed their leaders on the track from outsider to insider. We discuss whether they constitute a likely stumbling block on the way to government or a sword of Damocles over Green cabinet participation, once it might be achieved. The project has been completed only at the MZES but analyses will be continued at the University of Vienna.
