Over recent years, social movements formed in response to European neoliberal 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. It draws on social movement theory to understand the nature of popular mobilisation in referendums.
Co-authored by one of the world’s leading authorities on social movements, the book uses unique case studies such as the referendum on independence in Scotland, the consultations on independence in Catalonia, the Italian referendum on water, the referendum on the Troika proposals in Greece and the referendum on the debt repayment in Iceland, to illustrate the ways the social movements that formed as a consequence of the 2008 financial crash 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.
Looking at general issues of democracy, as well as the political effects of neoliberalism, this topical book is ideally suited to understand the reasons for the Brexit result and will be read by a wide audience interested in social movements, referendums and democratic innovation.
Table of Content
Referendums from below: an introduction
The context of the referendums from below: a tale of three crises
The organisational strategies of movements in referendums from below
Framing strategies in referendums from below
Expanding the comparison: the water referendum in Italy
Referendums from below: some reflections
About the author
Francis O’Connor is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the University of Aarhus. He is currently working on patterns of Lone Actor radicalization on the PRIME project. He defended his Ph D thesis ‘Armed Social Movements and Insurgency. The PKK and its Communities of Support’ at the European University Institute in 2014. His research interests include political violence, social movements, ethno-national mobilization, labour politics and Middle East politics with a particular focus on matters related to Kurdistan and Turkey. He obtained an MSc in Middle East Politics from SOAS in 2009.More ebooks from the same author(s) / Editor
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