Late Neoliberalism and its Discontents in the Economic Crisis

Abstract

This book analyses protests against the Great Recession in the European periphery. While social movements have long been considered as children of affluent times - or at least of times of opening opportunities - these protests defy such expectations, developing instead in moments of diminishing opportunities in both the economic and the political realms. Can social movement studies still be useful to understanding these movements of troubled times? The authors offer a positive answer to this question, although specify the need to bridge contentious politics with other fields, including political economy. They highlight differences in the social movements’ strength and breadth and attempt to understand them in terms of three sets of dimensions: a) the specific characteristics of the socio-economic crisis and its consequences in terms of mobilization potential; b) the political reactions to it, in what we can define as political opportunities and threats; and c) the social movement cultures and structures that characterize each country. The book discusses these topics through a contextualized analysis of anti-austerity protest in the European periphery

The Impact of Neoliberalism on Civil Society and Nonprofit Advocacy

“…The government has controlled the discourse of civic space not only through administrative regulations, but also through the use of criminal law and state sanctioned violence. This dynamic is more pronounced in the international literature on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) which reveals how governments have historically regulated and suppressed civic space by supporting those NGOs they deemed to be legitimate representatives of the people and silencing or criminalizing segments of civil society that challenged established norms (Buyse 2018;Della Porta 2017;Feldman 1997). Brazilian NGO scholar, Telles, coined the term "five star civil society" to describe "those NGOs whose agendas are considered acceptable and that don't challenge political economic or social norms" (2001, p. 32).…”

“…Similarly, the nonprofit sector has fostered citizen participation in ways that they do no longer (Della Porta 2017;Hall 1998;Skocpol 1996;Young 2000). While the organizations, themselves, were largely founded and directed by elites, nonprofits included institutional structures that drew a cross-section of Americans into civic life.…”

Italian Youth in International Context

“…1 As some assessment process requires formal attribution, we declare that Donatella della Porta is responsible for sections 'Young and anti-austerity protests in Italy: an introduction' and 'A generational comparison: some conclusions', while Massimiliano Andretta for the remaining sections. 2 The sudden and contagious mobilization by young citizens in many North Africa and Middle-East countries in the period between 2010 and 2011 aimed at democratizing their political systems (Abdih, 2011;della Porta, 2017). 3 For detailed information on the sample methodology see van Stekelenburg et al (2012) and Andretta and della Porta (2014).…”

“…Despite the various threats that the Millennial generation faces (from unemployment, to precariousness and uncertainty), many young citizens still engage in politics, though not necessarily through conventional patterns of participation. The economic crisis and the related austerity policies have triggered protest mobilizations in all southern European countries (della Porta et al, 2017). In these, younger generations have played a crucial role.…”

The Paradoxes of Democracy and the Rule of Law

“…Social movements have long been considered as children of affluent times, or at least of times of opening opportunities. The protests against first the austerity policies in the global South and then the Great Recession in the European periphery defy these expectations, developing in moments of declining opportunities at both economic and political levels (Silva 2009;della Porta 2015della Porta , 2017. What is more, in many parts of the world, these movements have been able to radically change the party system, promoting the emergence of new actors, sometimes able to experiment with new policies (Roberts 2015;della Porta et al 2016).…”