Description
Book Synopsis Across the West, the explosion of social movement activity since the late 1960s has constituted a “participatory revolution” that has posed profound challenges for formal political parties. Through an analysis of new interviews, institutional documents, and a host of other largely unexploited sources, Daniela R. Piccio provides a rich and empirically grounded exploration of the wide-ranging responses to these movements. Focusing on Italy and the Netherlands since the 1970s, Party Responses to Social Movements demonstrates how political parties have incorporated the demands of movements to a surprising extent, even as both have grappled with fundamental and inevitable tensions between their respective roles and aims.
Trade Review “The book is clear, well written, and well documented, and deals with an innovative and rather understudied topic…[It] is without a doubt an excellent work, one that significantly contributes to our knowledge of both parties and movements, and their relationships. It is highly recommended reading for graduate students and researchers from various disciplines and especially those working on social movements’ impact on the political process. Besides this, it will be also a model for other studies on different cases and it will help to develop further comparative analysis.” • Análise Social
“Piccio’s work is a fine empirical study that will fill an important gap in the scholarly literature on parties and movements. It is clearly written, very well-organized, and is designed in a way that generates stimulating and suggestive comparisons.” • John Markoff, University of Pittsburgh
“A pleasant and interesting read with a well-thought out design. Party Responses to Social Movements is an accessible and interesting read on an understudied topic. It is well-conceived and its approach to its subject matter is both careful and convincing.” • Bert Klandermans, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Table of Contents List of Tables and Figures
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1. Politics beyond Parties
Chapter 2. Social Movements and the Traditional Left: A Cautious Reception
Chapter 3. “And Yes It Moves!”: The Unexpected Response of Centrist Parties to Social Movements
Conclusion: It Was Worth the Effort
Appendix I: Election Outcomes and Government Coalitions
Appendix II: List of Consulted Documents
Appendix III: Social Movements’ Themes in Party Manifestos
Bibliography
Index
