Movements vs. Parties? A Classification of Possible Interactions

In a time of economic crisis, whereas the traditional institutions of representation are increasingly losing their legitimacy, other (informal) forms of representation, like social movements, have firmly established themselves in the political arena, claiming to be the true representatives of citizens’ needs. Against this background this paper explores the different forms the interaction between political parties and movements in the struggle for representation can take, and the conditions under which social movements are better/worse for fulfilling this function. On the basis of an analytical framework which conceives competition, cooperation, co-optation, rejection and non-reaction as our dependent variable, and with case studies of several recent waves of mobilization in European countries (Ms5 in Italy, Best party in Iceland, the Indignados and Podemos in Spain, etc.) we will interpret and try to explain these different possible outcomes of the interaction with theories of political opportunities, resource mobilization and framing.