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Emil Hus­ted

Associate Professor

Emner
Organisation Digitalisering Demokrati Politik Kultur Sociologi

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) 
 

Publications

See all publications

januar 2026

A Processual Perspective on Alternative Organization

Reorienting Critical Research Through a Study of Two Political Parties

Emil Hu­sted, Associate Professor

Erik My­gind du Ples­sis, Associate Professor

Go to publication

3. december 2025

Lektor

De kommunalpolitiske rævekager vidner om et sundt demokrati

Emil Hu­sted, Associate Professor

Go to publication

27. november 2025

Politisk lederskab bedrives med ordet og ikke med sværdet

Emil Hu­sted, Associate Professor

Go to publication

Outside activities

CBS Ex­ec­ut­ive – teach­ing , 2022 - 2025

I usu­ally teach one day at CBS ex­ec­ut­ive each year