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Emil Hus­ted

Associate Professor

Subjects
Organisation Digitalisation Democracy Politics Culture Sociology

Primary research areas

Political parties and social movements

I study how political organizations such as political parties and social movements are organized. This means that I explore how they are governed internally, how they make decisions, what holds them together, and how they coordinate activities. I mostly focus on ‘movement parties’ and have recently written a book about the Danish party Alternativet.

The organization of parliament

I study how parliaments work in practice. This means that I explore parliaments as workplaces where politicians, party staff, civil servants, and journalists come together to govern national affairs. I mostly focus on the Danish parliament (Folketinget) and have recently finished a book about experiences of alienation and resonance among those who work there.

Alternative modes of organization

I study how certain organizations seek to challenge established ways of organizing. This means that I explore how organizations such as political parties, social movements, and worker cooperatives experiment with new modes of governance and decision-making in an attempt to escape the constraints of the dominant socio-economic order.

I explore how politics is organized in practice

My core research interest centers on the notion of 'political organization' in political parties, social movements, and activist networks. This means that I explore these political entities from an organizational point of view. Empirically, I focus on political parties such as Alternativet in Denmark and Podemos in Spain, but I have also conducted empirical analyses of other political phenomena such as Occupy Wall Street, the Trump administration, UBI initiatives, and online ‘prepper’ communities. At the moment, I am working on a research project about the Danish Parliament as a workplace. 

My research helps decision-makers and others interested in politics understand how organizational dynamics often play a key role in determining how society is governed. After all, organization is politics made durable.  

I disseminate my research through: 

Regular feature articles on Altinget.dk and other outlets 

Media appearances on TV and radio 

Interviews in newspapers and magazines 

Presentations in various political organizations (incl. Folketinget) 
 

Outside activities

CBS Executive – teaching , 2022–2025

I usually teach one day at CBS executive each year