Description
Book SynopsisRepresentative democracies are facing huge challenges that stem from long trends of citizens’ dissatisfaction and weakening of political legitimacy, on the one hand, and the effects of global economic and financial crisis on electoral alignments and the patterns of government, on the other. This volume uses the Portuguese case as an important case study to examine the long-term debate on the crisis of representative democracies with the attempt to assess the impact of the Great Recession. In particular, this study examines two relevant dimensions, namely citizens’ participation and mobilization, as well as longitudinal evolution of the linkages between voters and MPs, highlighting both continuities and changes. Through a wide and rich data collection and the comparative perspective adopted, this study furthers our understanding of how Portuguese democracy has bounced back and has emerged as a peculiar case among European democracies, especially if we look at innovate democratic practices - at both citizens’ and elites’ level – that have been adopted after the Great Recession.
Trade Review“Why Portugal did constitute an exceptional case among bailout countries during the Great Recession? This distinguished team of Portuguese political scientists provides several answers to this question, thoroughly analyzing how citizens and parliamentary representation interacted before and after the financial crisis. This book is an extraordinary example of how democracies overcome difficult crises and are able to display institutional stability, economic sustainability, and political success.” -- José Ramón Montero, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1
Bridging the gap? The changing relationship between the socialists and radical left in Portugal
Chapter 2
Politics in Austerity: strategic interactions between social movements and institutional actors in Portugal, 2010-2015
Chapter 3
Democratic legitimacy and trust in political institutions in Portugal before and after the Great Recession: transitory or lasting effects?
Chapter 4
Political participation of the young versus old age cohorts before and after the Great Recession: Portugal in a comparative perspective, 2008-2016
Chapter 5
Ideological and policy representation in Portugal, before and after the Great Recession, 2008-2017
Chapter 6
Gender and political representation before and after the Great Recession, 2008-2017
Chapter 7
Opening the ‘black box’: intra-party cohesion on European integration in Portugal before and after the crisis
Chapter 8
Legislative activities before and after the Great Recession: an analysis of unemployment and social welfare issues
Chapter 9
Conclusions
