- Home
- A-Z Publications
- Portuguese Journal of Social Science
- Previous Issues
- Volume 15, Issue 2, 2016
Portuguese Journal of Social Science - Volume 15, Issue 2, 2016
Volume 15, Issue 2, 2016
-
-
The condition of Portuguese democracy during the Troika’s intervention, 2011–15
By André FreireAbstractFour main elements characterized Portuguese democracy during the financial bailout by the Troika: first, a government that governed well beyond its 2011 electoral mandate; second, an enormous imbalance in the sacrifices required of citizens (wage earners and retired) and capital; third, powerful delegitimization as a consequence of poor economic and public finance results; fourth, the last of the problems behind Portuguese dissatisfaction with how democracy functioned was, until the 2015 elections, the opposition’s inability to propose alternatives, primarily because the Partido Socialista (PS – Socialist Party) was a weak opposition to the government and until recently the left-wing parties seemed unable to cooperate to create a governmental alternative. What we show here with updated data (2012 and 2014) and specific measures to tap the phenomena is that there are specific elements to the erosion of democratic support and institutional trust as a result of the Troika years and the way austerity policies were imposed by the right-wing government (2011–15), as well as due to the pattern of opposition until the elections of 4 October 2015. The 2015 general election brought about major changes. The resulting minority Socialist Party PS government, supported in parliament by the parties of the radical left – Bloco de Esquerda (BE – Left Bloc), Partido Comunista Português (PCP – Portuguese Communist Party) and Partido Ecologista ‘Os Verdes’ (PEV – Ecology Party ‘The Greens’) – marks a major change with left-wing parties cooperating for the first time in the government of Portugal.
-
-
-
Delegitimization accelerated: Democracy, accountability and the Troika experience in Cyprus
More LessAbstractThis article examines the impact of the economic crisis on the Cypriot political and party systems (2008–15). While not solely the result of the economic crisis, the entire political system is experiencing a severe legitimacy crisis: levels of trust in political institutions are low and falling and voters today are very sceptical of political parties. Despite these feelings, though, most Cypriots have decided to exit the political system altogether rather than change their mode and form of participation. Therefore, social and political protest remains minimum and symbolic. All evidence seem to suggest a process of citizen disengagement from politics is taking place: however, while the citizens disengage the party system still exhibits signs of endurance. Nonetheless, on closer examination, changes are materializing at both the individual and the group level. The emerging volatility and increased fragmentation of the political space means there are forces and individuals within society that are not politically or otherwise aligned and/or represented in the political sphere, thus creating niche markets for new entrepreneurs.
-
-
-
Party system (de-)institutionalization and the economic crisis: Insights from the Italian case
By Marco LisiAbstractThis article examines party system change in Italy after the emergence of the economic crisis, focusing on the radical shift experienced with the 2013 general elections. By considering several indicators such as party system fragmentation, electoral volatility, issues of competition and patterns of government, this study provides a systematic and comprehensive assessment of the main dimensions of change and continuity experienced by the Italian party system over the last decades. The article argues that the economic crisis was only partially responsible for the instability of the party system, while long-term factors of erosion were crucial to foster party system change. In particular, the crisis of party organizations contributed to the success of new actors, the regeneration of party leadership and the emergence of new patterns of government. The Italian case thus offers interesting insights on the concept of party system deinstitutionalization and on the interaction between institutional change, party strategies and electoral dynamics.
-
-
-
Crisis, changes and uncertainty: Spanish party system after the Great Recession
By Lucía MedinaAbstractThis article provides a descriptive account of changes to the Spanish party system against the backdrop of both the recession, the string of high-profile corruption cases and tensions around an increase in pro-independence sentiment in Catalonia, with all these circumstances contributing to an upturn in political discontent and protest. Changes to the party system came gradually. First came the economic and political situation leading to defeat of the socialist party (PSOE – Partido Socialista Obrero Español) in the 2011 general election and then the erosion of dominance of Spain’s two main parties in the elections held in 2014 and 2015. Finally, the results from the general election of 20 December 2015 seemed to open a new electoral era for the Spanish party system, one characterized by greater fragmentation and polarization, the arrival of new political forces and the need for coalitions to form governments.
-
-
-
Politics in the depressed republic: Transformation and continuity in Greece during the crisis
More LessAbstractThis article offers an examination of the transformations and continuities that marked political life in Greece after the onset of the economic crisis in 2009. By providing accounts of Greek politics before and after the start of the crisis, the article attempts to detect patterns of transition to a new political landscape. Different sections of the article focus on patterns of change and continuity in the Greek party system, as well as in the domains of electoral behaviour, political culture, political participation and mobilization. Finally, the article hazards a preliminary assessment of the long-term political consequences of the crisis on the Greek political system.
-
-
-
Home ownership in Southern European countries: Similarities and differences
Authors: Alda Botelho Azevedo, Julián López-Colás and Juan A. MódenesAbstractSouthern European countries (SEC) are often considered as a homogenous group, distinct from the rest of Europe, in the literature of housing studies. This article explores the idea that despite sharing cohesion factors, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain also displayed a significant degree of heterogeneity in their housing patterns at the outset of the current economic crisis. The study analyses 2005 and 2009 micro-data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions at two levels. At the macro level, a cluster analysis was used to define four homogeneous groups in the European context. At the micro level, both homogeneous and heterogeneous features of home ownership in the SEC were identified using logistic modelling. The results of the macro analysis highlight the structural proximity between the southern and the post-socialist countries in terms of housing characteristics. With regard to predictors of home ownership, the micro analysis confirms that SEC form a distinctive group when compared with the European Union at large, while displaying significant internal heterogeneity in predictors such as age, citizenship, dwelling type and social environment.
-
-
-
Social classes and tolerance to corruption in Portugal: What is the relationship?
Authors: Marcelo Moriconi and Tiago CarvalhoAbstractCorruption has been perceived as one of the main problems in Portuguese politics and society. However, the phenomenon is not new for the country. Therefore, this article tries to identify the ways in which tolerance to corruption is disseminated among various social classes. In order for a source of unrest to persist for a length of time, it requires a high degree of social tolerance. Using data from a 2006 survey (corruption and ethics in democracy project), this article presents a portrait of how different social classes correspond to different types of tolerance to parochial corruption. These groups have different views regarding the phenomenon as well as certain forms of non-transactive corruption that reproduce tolerance to corruption.
-
-
-
Book Review
More LessAbstractFAREWELL TO EMPIRE: HISTORY, MEMORY AND DECOLONIZATION, M. MACHAQUEIRO, P. A. OLIVEIRA AND F. ROSAS (2015)
O Adeus ao Império: 40 Anos de Descolonização Portuguesa/Farewell to Empire: 40 Years of Portuguese Decolonization, Lisbon: Nova Vega. ISBN: 9789897500404, 260 pp., €21.20 (p/bk)
-
Volumes & issues
-
Volume 20 (2021)
-
Volume 19 (2020)
-
Volume 18 (2019)
-
Volume 17 (2018)
-
Volume 16 (2017)
-
Volume 15 (2016)
-
Volume 14 (2015)
-
Volume 13 (2014)
-
Volume 12 (2012 - 2013)
-
Volume 11 (2012)
-
Volume 10 (2011)
-
Volume 9 (2010)
-
Volume 8 (2009)
-
Volume 7 (2008)
-
Volume 6 (2007 - 2008)
-
Volume 5 (2006 - 2007)
-
Volume 4 (2005)
-
Volume 3 (2004)
-
Volume 2 (2003 - 2004)
-
Volume 1 (2002 - 2003)