Over recent years, social movements formed in response to European neoliberal austerity measures have played an increasingly important role in referendums. This is the first book to bridge the gap between social movement studies and research on direct democracy. It draws on social movement theory to understand the nature of popular mobilisation in referendums. Co-authored by one of the world's leading authorities on social movements, the book uses unique case studies such as the referendum on independence in Scotland, the consultations on independence in Catalonia, the Italian referendum on water, the referendum on the Troika proposals in Greece and the referendum on the debt repayment in Iceland, to illustrate the ways the social movements that formed as a consequence of the 2008 financial crash have affected the referendums' dynamic and results. It also addresses the way in which participation from below has had a transformative impact on the organisational strategies and framing practices used in the campaigns. Looking at general issues of democracy, as well as the political effects of neoliberalism, this topical book is ideally suited to understand the reasons for the Brexit result and will be read by a wide audience interested in social movements, referendums and democratic innovation.
This is the first book to bridge the gap between social movement studies and research on direct democracy. It draws on social movement theory to understand the nature of popular mobilisation in referendums.
Environmentalism in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Norway
Social movements take shape in relation to the kind of state they face, while over time states are transformed by the movements that they both incorporate and resist. Green States and Social Movements is a comparative study of the environmental movement's successes and failures in four very different states: the USA, UK, Germany and Norway. The history covers the entire sweep of the modern environmental era that begins in 1970. The end in view is a green transformation of the state and society on a par with earlier transformations that gave us first the liberal capitalist state and then the welfare state. The authors explain why such a transformation is now most likely in Germany, and why it is least likely in the United States, which has lost the status of environmental pioneer that it gained in the early 1970s. Their comparative analysis also explains the role played by social movements in making modern societies more deeply democratic, and yields insights into the strategic choices of environmental movements as they decide on what terms to engage, enter or resist the state. Sometimes it makes sense for a movement to act conventionally, as a green party or set of interest groups. But sometimes inclusion can mean co-optation, in which case a movement can instead emphasize action in and through civil society.
Green States and Social Movements is a comparative study of the environmental movement's successes and failures in four very different states: the USA, UK, Germany and Norway.
This book investigates how social movements form their political strategies in their quest for social change and -when they shift from one strategy to another- why and how that happens. The author creates a model which distinguishes between two different roads to social change: one that passes through the seizure of state power and one that avoids any relationship with the state. Comparing the cases of two Latin American social movements, the Zapatistas in Mexico and the Bolivian Cocaleros, the volume argues that strategic choices are often decided upon through similar mechanisms. Ideal for a scholarly and non-specialist audience interested in Mexican and Bolivian politics, revolutions, and Latin American and social movement studies.
This book investigates how social movements form their political strategies in their quest for social change and -when they shift from one strategy to another- why and how that happens.
øThis Handbook uniquely collates the results of several decades of academic research in these two important fields. The expert contributions successively address the different forms of political citizenship and current approaches and recent development
Movements. John. A. Guidry,. Michael. D. Kennedy,. and. Mayer. N. Zald.
Globalization. describes what a number of people perceive as a fundamental
change in the conditions of human life. Just what has changed and how it has
changed, ...
Group Politics and Social Movements in Canada, Second Edition updates and expands its exploration of a wide range of organized group and social movement activity in Canadian politics. Particularly distinctive is the inclusion of Quebec nationalism and Aboriginal politics. Many other areas of collective activity are also included: the Occupy movement and anti-poverty organizing, ethnocultural political mobilization, disability, lesbian and gay politics, feminism, farmers and organized interests in agriculture, Christian evangelical groups, environment, and health movements. Contributors to the collection employ a number of theoretical perspectives from political science and sociology to describe the evolution of organized groups and movements and to evaluate successes in exercising influence on Canadian politics. Each chapter provides an overview of the group or movement along with an account of its main networks and organizations, strategies, goals, successes, and failures.
Miriam Smith. This sweep of ideas and identities, along with such organizational
complexity, translate into varied forms of activism. The women's movement can
model itself on a pressure group or even a political party. It can also take the form
...
This book explores the evolution of social movements in South Korea by focusing on how they have become institutionalized and diffused in the democratic period. The contributors explore the transformation of Korean social movements from the democracy campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s to the rise of civil society struggles after 1987. South Korea was ruled by successive authoritarian regimes from 1948 to 1987 when the government decided to re-establish direct presidential elections. The book contends that the transition to a democratic government was motivated, in part, by the pressure from social movement groups that fought the state to bring about such democracy. After the transition, however, the movement groups found themselves in a qualitatively different political context which in turn galvanized the evolution of the social movement sector. Including an impressive array of case studies ranging from the women's movement, to environmental NGOs, and from cultural production to law, the contributors to this book enrich our understanding of the democratization process in Korea, and show that the social movement sector remains an important player in Korean politics today. This book will appeal to students and scholars of Korean studies, Asian politics, political history and social movements.
movements. in. Korea. Institutionalization. and. diffusion. Paul. Y. Chang. and. Gi-
Wook. Shin. If South Korea was one of several nation states to ride the “third
wave of democracy,” it is arguably one of the most successful cases of
democratic ...
Contested globalizations -- Rival transnational networks -- Politics in a global system -- Globalizing capitalism : the transnational neoliberal network in action -- Promoting multilateralism : social movements and the UN system -- Mobilizing a transnational network for democratic globalization -- Agenda-setting in a global polity -- Domesticating international human rights norms -- Confronting contradictions between multilateral economic institutions and the UN system -- Alternative political spaces : the world social forum process and "globalization from below" -- Conclusions: Network politics and global democracy
Contested globalizations -- Rival transnational networks -- Politics in a global system -- Globalizing capitalism : the transnational neoliberal network in action -- Promoting multilateralism : social movements and the UN system -- ...
Drawing on social movement theory, this book presents a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of collective action during Guatemalaa (TM)s democratic transition (1985-1996) and the accompanying impact of social movements on democratisation, focusing on three indigenous peoplesa (TM) social movement organisations.
CONCLUSIONS SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, INDIGENOUS POLITICS AND
DEMOCRATISATION IN GUATEMALA, 1985–1996 We are now in a position to
evaluate how and why civil actors mobilised collectively during the democratic
transition in ...
Organization, Trajectories, and Political Consequences
This book presents rich empirical analyses of the most important movements in Chile’s post-transition era: the Student Movement, the Mapuche Movement, the Labor Movement, the Feminist Movement, and the Environmental Movement. The chapters illuminate the processes that led to their emergence, and detail how actors developed new strategies, or revisited old ones, to influence the political arena. The book also offers contributions that situate these cases both in terms of the general trends in protest in Chile, as well as in comparison to other countries in Latin America. Emphasizing various facets of the debate about the relationship between “institutional” and “non-institutional” politics, this volume not only contributes to the study of collective action in Chile, but also to the broader social movement literature.
This book presents rich empirical analyses of the most important movements in Chile’s post-transition era: the Student Movement, the Mapuche Movement, the Labor Movement, the Feminist Movement, and the Environmental Movement.
