When Do Political Parties Move to the Streets? Understanding Party Protest in Chile (2000-2012)

• In Event: 463 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 15. Political Parties and Social Movement Mobilization

Abstract

The social movements literature assumes that collective protest is mainly staged by social movement organizations, and the political parties literature assumes that parties do not protest (rather they compete in elections). Yet recent research on the blurring boundaries between institutional and non-institutional politics suggests that parties may eventually turn to the streets. So when do parties protest? Based on two party theories – parties as rational electoral maximizers, and parties as representatives of social groups – I explore the conditions under which parties engage in collective protest in public places. Using a dataset of more than 2,300 protest events taking place in Chile between 2000 and 2012, I found that 1) party protest is relatively rare, 2) it is confined to leftist and to a lesser extent centrist parties, and 3) several attributes of protest events as well as the political context shape party protest. Regarding events, party protest is more likely in events that take place in densely populated and highly visible settings, are coordinated by civil society organizations (rather than being spontaneous gatherings), resort to pacific tactics, and lack educational or labor claims yet include human rights claims. Political context matters too: party protest is more likely during honeymoon periods, and when the center-left coalition is in power.

Author

• Nicolas M. Somma, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile