In person icon Radical Left Parties and Civil Society in Southern Europe

Abstract

Recent studies have mainly built on the assumption that political parties increasingly orient their actions towards the state and disengage from civil society. Political parties’ attempts to restructure their representational linkages has been considered either as a form of populism or as a contingent reaction to party cartelisation. The possibility that parties seek alternative channels of influence and support by attempting to strengthen existing links or forge new links with civil society, in particular, interest groups, social movements and non-governmental organizations has been largely overlooked, as has the impact of this alternative strategy on internal party organization and consequently, on parties’ ideology. Since the end of the Cold War, and particularly over the last decade, the parties of the radical left have entered a deep process of transformation, having had to address considerable strategic, organizational and ideological challenges. Most appear to have attempted a renewal of their engagement with civil society which has eventually led to build alternative model of party organization. The financial crisis which has severely hit Southern European political economies provides increased opportunities for the parties of the radical left to differentiate themselves from social democratic parties by reinforcing or renewing their links with social movements and organised civil society. This panel will examine recent developments in the parties of the Southern European radical left. It aims to analyse the type of linkages that these parties have established with civil society organizations, the motivations behind it and the consequences in terms of party strategy and ideology. Moreover, the experience of radical left parties in Southern Europe may contribute not only to the broader debate on party change but also to gather new data and to compare the organizational development of this party family across different contexts.

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