The emergence of several “new” parties in Western Europe has generated a new scholarly interest in the nature and impact of the political representation of what have also been referred to as “small” and “minor” parties. This growing interest in the experiences of new political parties within political institutions and public office has, however, largely overlooked autonomist parties in Western Europe. This is in spite of the fact that, in many places, autonomist parties have become major electoral and political players. Given the significance of autonomist parties within political systems across Western Europe, an analysis of the ways in which political representation has impacted upon the autonomist party family is long overdue. This volume undertakes such an analysis. Firstly, it maps the ways in which autonomist parties have evolved within their respective political and institutional arenas. In particular, the empirical contributions examine the degree to which autonomist parties have succeeded in passing different thresholds associated with different stages of political party development, from declaring their intention to participate in elections, to getting representatives elected to democratic institutions, to being parties of government. Secondly, the volume examines the ways in which passing different thresholds have impacted upon autonomist parties, both in terms of their internal organisation, and the goals that they pursue within different political arenas. Thirdly, the volume addresses the question of the degree to which autonomist parties “matter” within their respective political systems, in the sense that they have successfully pushed for the territorial reorganisation of the state in a way that increases the autonomy of the minority nation. This is an important question, since such successes can have major implications for the constitutional integrity of states. In order to meet these aims, this introductory chapter proposes a framework for analysing the lifespans of autonomist parties, and the ways in which autonomist parties change as they evolve from being parties of protest, to being parties in power in many cases. The next section outlines a model for distinguishing between different stages in an autonomist party’s development, and formulates hypotheses about the factors that impact upon a party’s ability to move from one stage to the next. The chapter then turns to an examination of how autonomist parties are expected to change their organisations and goals as a consequence of crossing different thresholds. It concludes by specifying criteria for measuring the success of autonomist parties in meeting their core goal of territorial reform.

Introduction: Autonomist Parties and the Challenges of Political Representation

TRONCONI, FILIPPO
2011

Abstract

The emergence of several “new” parties in Western Europe has generated a new scholarly interest in the nature and impact of the political representation of what have also been referred to as “small” and “minor” parties. This growing interest in the experiences of new political parties within political institutions and public office has, however, largely overlooked autonomist parties in Western Europe. This is in spite of the fact that, in many places, autonomist parties have become major electoral and political players. Given the significance of autonomist parties within political systems across Western Europe, an analysis of the ways in which political representation has impacted upon the autonomist party family is long overdue. This volume undertakes such an analysis. Firstly, it maps the ways in which autonomist parties have evolved within their respective political and institutional arenas. In particular, the empirical contributions examine the degree to which autonomist parties have succeeded in passing different thresholds associated with different stages of political party development, from declaring their intention to participate in elections, to getting representatives elected to democratic institutions, to being parties of government. Secondly, the volume examines the ways in which passing different thresholds have impacted upon autonomist parties, both in terms of their internal organisation, and the goals that they pursue within different political arenas. Thirdly, the volume addresses the question of the degree to which autonomist parties “matter” within their respective political systems, in the sense that they have successfully pushed for the territorial reorganisation of the state in a way that increases the autonomy of the minority nation. This is an important question, since such successes can have major implications for the constitutional integrity of states. In order to meet these aims, this introductory chapter proposes a framework for analysing the lifespans of autonomist parties, and the ways in which autonomist parties change as they evolve from being parties of protest, to being parties in power in many cases. The next section outlines a model for distinguishing between different stages in an autonomist party’s development, and formulates hypotheses about the factors that impact upon a party’s ability to move from one stage to the next. The chapter then turns to an examination of how autonomist parties are expected to change their organisations and goals as a consequence of crossing different thresholds. It concludes by specifying criteria for measuring the success of autonomist parties in meeting their core goal of territorial reform.
2011
From Protest to Power. Autonomist parties and the challenges of representation
1
25
A. Elias; F. Tronconi
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/105341
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