Inject and Redirect? Parties and Social Movements on the Left

Can parties on the Left renew by forging closer ties to progressive social movements? Clearly, the two forms of political organisation perform different functions which cannot easily be blended. Yet, in an era of political distrust and stagnating party organisations, wouldn’t innovative attempts to unite be a way to inject new life? The question has been asked repeatedly during the last decade and a half. A useful point of departure is the rise of radical social movements in the wake of the financial crisis. Since then, and particularly in urban Europe, radical environmentalist groups have risen in prevalence alongside single-issue movements evolving in response to economic turmoil. While in some contexts political parties have emerged or incorporated such groups, most parties on the left have been hesitant to embrace new sources of activism. On the surface, this may be surprising, given the fresh impetus and energy that movements can add to parties with which they are broadly aligned. Yet, there are reasons for prevarication and ambiguity on both sides of the bargain. Parties may see their profile hijacked by a single-issue agenda that seeks monopolisation alongside radicalisation. Social movements may find their radical edge compromised and incentives for members blurred. In this conceptual paper, we explore the dynamics of between parties on the left and social movements, highlighting the stakes involved on both sides. We establish a typology of different party-movement relationships on the left and ask (1) in what contexts and why specific modes of this relationship occur and (2) how different modes can be assessed in terms of (a) overall influence for left and (b) re-legitimisation of political parties.