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Social Movements and Referendums from Below

Direct Democracy in the Neoliberal Crisis

Donatella della Porta author Martín Portos author Francis O'Connor author Anna Subirats author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Policy Press

Published:27th Sep '17

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Social Movements and Referendums from Below cover

Over recent years, social movements formed in response to austerity measures have played an increasingly important role in referendums. This is the first book to bridge the gap between social movement studies and research on direct democracy and draws on social movement theory to understand the nature of popular mobilization in referendums. The book uses unique case studies such as the Scottish referendum, the independence consultations in Catalonia, the Italian water referendum, the Troika proposals in Greece and the Iceland debt repayment referendum, to illustrate the ways the social movements have affected the referendums’ dynamic and results. It also addresses the way in which participation from below has had a transformative impact on the organisational strategies and framing practices used in the campaigns.

"This timely and original book bridges the gap between social movement studies and research on direct democracy. Donatella della Porta and her co-authors forcefully show how social movements shape the dynamics of referendum campaigns in times of economic and political crises." Swen Hutter, European University Institute
"In this supremely readable and interesting book, Donatella della Porta, the foremost scholar of social movements, and her colleagues address the role of `referendums from below’, a timely and yet surprisingly understudied phenomenon. The book provides a very valuable contribution to the literature on direct democracy as well as an important contribution to political science." Matt Qvortrup, Coventry University

ISBN: 9781447333418

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

232 pages