When Alliances Matter: the Pathways of Social Movements to Obtain Political Allies in Chile

• In Event: Movimientos sociales y políticos en el sur

Abstract

Attention to the interactions between social movements and the political system at large is growing in the social movements literature. Considering the extra-institutional origin of social movement organizations, it is necessary to study how they interact with political agents (e.g. party leaders, congressmen, or ministers) as a way to increase their influence in the institutionalized policymaking process, where challengers do not have a granted access. Drawing on the cases of the labor, environmental and LGBT movements in Chile, this research analyzes how organizations from those three different movements create strong ties with political actors in Congress and the national government and, ultimately, cultivate alliances with these actors. Though these movements differ in their agendas, timing of emergence in society, and resources, it is possible to identify clear and distinctive generalizable patterns among them in their interactions with agents in Congress and the national government. Ultimately, these connections with Congressional and governmental authorities and agents allow social movement organizations to continue their activism within national institutions where the policymaking process takes place and shape policy outcomes.

Author

• Rodolfo A Lopez