- Massimiliano Andretta is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pisa, co-manager of the Media... moreMassimiliano Andretta is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pisa, co-manager of the MediaLab with Roberta Bracciale,
and member of the scientific committee of the review "Partecipazione & Conflitto".edit
Protests and Institutions at the local level: comparing Palermo and Florence in the Ninenties
Research Interests:
This Paper deals with the current transformations of Solidarity Purchase Groups (SPGs) in Italy. We particularly wonder if and eventually how the economic crisis and austerity policies have affected SPGs. Through an approach based on the... more
This Paper deals with the current transformations of Solidarity Purchase Groups (SPGs) in Italy. We particularly wonder if and eventually how the economic crisis and austerity policies have affected SPGs. Through an approach based on the literature on political consumerism and social movements, six hypotheses are proposed: 'less economic resources, less SPGs,' 'cultural path dependency,' 'increased opportunities ,' 'isomorphism,' 'civic traditions,' and 'resilience.' Empirical data focus on Italian and Tuscan SPGs, by both articulating different research methods and focalizing on different levels. Although our work has only an explorative aim, our analysis shows that the amount of available economic resources cannot per se lead to a satisfying understanding of the evolution of SPGs. Hypotheses based on culture and politi-* The article originates from a strong and ongoing collaboration between the authors. However, as some assessment processes require formal attribution, we would like to specify that Riccardo Guidi is responsible for parts 1, 2 and 3, while Massimiliano Andretta is responsible for part 4. Part 5 is co-authored. The authors would like to thank Chiara Ceragioli, Costanza dell'Omodarme and Matteo Landi for their support in data collection, Ada Rossi for the helpful exchange of ideas and discussions on Tuscan SPGs, Francesca Forno and two anonymous referees for their excellent comments on the previous drafts of the article. 444 cal processes seem to be more promising and can point to the resilience capacity of those groups. Post-materialistic values resulting from economic well-being might have produced organized practices of political consumerism. However, once political consumerism gets structured—this is our tentative argument— not only does it resist to external shocks but also it transforms itself and adapts to the new conditions imposed by crises, that is, it becomes 'resilient.' The 'resilience hypothesis' applied to SPGs nevertheless has to face some social cleavages.
The Europeanization of Italian social movements
Research Interests:
Internal democracy in Global Justice Movement in Naples
Research Interests:
Comparing anti austerity protestors and generations in Spain and Italy
Research Interests:
the contribution of social movements studies to Political science
Research Interests:
Leftist parties and social movements
Research Interests:
Citizens' committees have become an increasingly frequent, relevant phenomenon in Italian local politics and policy over the last decade or so. This article examines protest campaigns concerning traffic policies in four medium-size cities... more
Citizens' committees have become an increasingly frequent, relevant phenomenon in Italian local politics and policy over the last decade or so. This article examines protest campaigns concerning traffic policies in four medium-size cities in which such committees have played a pivotal role. Though the ability of such actors to successfully impose their preferences on the policy agenda appears to be at the very least uncertain, an analysis of these campaigns reveals some of the factors that can increase their chances of exerting influence on policy decisions. Such factors include the resources these campaigns can mobilize – namely various forms of human, social and political capital –, their political opportuneness and their ability to structure public discourse within a global framework that fosters the building of coalitions supporting their claims.
Protest compaign comparative analysis in Italy
Research Interests:
... We dedicate this book to our children, Seth and Hadley McCammon and Elsa and Sadie Van Dyke Page 8. This page intentionally left blank Page 9. Contents Preface ix Introduction: Social Movement Coalition Formation xi Nella Van Dyke and... more
... We dedicate this book to our children, Seth and Hadley McCammon and Elsa and Sadie Van Dyke Page 8. This page intentionally left blank Page 9. Contents Preface ix Introduction: Social Movement Coalition Formation xi Nella Van Dyke and Holly J. McCammon Part I. Social ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Urban protest is often carried out by citizens’ committees: that is, political groups that mobilize on issues affecting a small territorial area, use various forms of protest, and are organized in very loosely structured forms. Based on... more
Urban protest is often carried out by citizens’ committees: that is, political groups that mobilize on issues affecting a small territorial area, use various forms of protest, and are organized in very loosely structured forms. Based on interviews with members of citizens’ committees in Florence, this article discusses their identities, strategies and organizational models, as well as their interaction with local authorities. Active mainly in issues of pollution and security, the Florentine committees frame their demands in terms of defending or improving quality of life in a defined territory. Mobilizing citizens who have often had previous experience in voluntary and/or political associations, citizens’ committees evidence a strongly participatory organizational model, with, however, notably discontinuous levels of activity. Whilst privileging moderate forms of protest, citizens’ committees also seem to have more and more channels of access to the institutions of local government, which sometimes perceive them as a source of information and aggregate consensus. The quality of the interactions between citizens’ committees and the public administration plays an important role in determining the extent to which this type of urban protest produces social capital.La contestation urbaine est souvent menée par des comités citoyens, c’est–à–dire des groupes politiques qui se mobilisent sur des problèmes affectant une zone territoriale limitée, emploient diverses formes de protestation et s’organisent selon des structures très informelles. A partir d’entretiens avec des membres de comités citoyens de Florence, cet article étudie leurs identités, stratégies et modèles d’organisation, ainsi que leur interaction avec les autorités locales. Surtout actifs sur des questions de pollution et de sécurité, les comités florentins formulent leurs revendications en termes de défense ou d’amélioration de la qualité de la vie dans un territoire donné. Mobilisant les citoyens qui, souvent, ont déjà eu une expérience dans des associations bénévoles et/ou politiques, ces comités démontrent un modèle organisationnel fortement participatif avec, toutefois, des degrés d’activité particulièrement intermittents. Bien que privilégiant des formes modérées de contestation, les comités citoyens semblent disposer de moyens toujours plus nombreux d’accéder aux institutions des gouvernements locaux, lesquelles les considèrent parfois comme une source d’informations et de consensus collectif. La qualité des interactions entre les comités citoyens et l’administration publique est importante si l’on veut déterminer dans quelle mesure ce type de contestation urbaine génère un capital social.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Social Media Campaign: The case of the Regional Elections in Tuscany. The book analyses social media use of leaders, political parties and candidates.
Research Interests:
Leftist Parties and social movements
Research Interests:
Ongoing Analysis of the Italian Elections e-campaign of leaders, parties and candidates, 2018
Research Interests:
The impact of legacies and memories on social movements has been paid only limited attention in what is now a sizeable literature. While there is a growing interest in memory, there is little systematic theory or comparative research on... more
The impact of legacies and memories on social movements has been paid only limited attention in what is now a sizeable literature. While there is a growing interest in memory, there is little systematic theory or comparative research on the long-lasting institutional consequences of important events—or how they are remembered by future generations.
In Legacies and Memories in Movements, Donatella della Porta and her collaborators examine the concepts of historical legacy and memory, suggesting ways to apply them in analyses of the long-term effects of movements, movement participation, and movement strategies and tactics. In particular, they explore a critical juncture, rich with consequences for social movements: the transition to democracy. Through a comparative-historical study of social movements in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, the authors tease out the complex and varied ways different modes of transition can produce new types and uses of memories for social movements. To do so, they analyze how moments of transition create institutional change that impacts future movements and consider how past protests enhance and constrain social movements today.
Focusing on the reverberation of events and how past events serve as guides for the future, Legacies and Memories in Movements brings together the literature on collective memory and social movements for the first time.
In Legacies and Memories in Movements, Donatella della Porta and her collaborators examine the concepts of historical legacy and memory, suggesting ways to apply them in analyses of the long-term effects of movements, movement participation, and movement strategies and tactics. In particular, they explore a critical juncture, rich with consequences for social movements: the transition to democracy. Through a comparative-historical study of social movements in Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, the authors tease out the complex and varied ways different modes of transition can produce new types and uses of memories for social movements. To do so, they analyze how moments of transition create institutional change that impacts future movements and consider how past protests enhance and constrain social movements today.
Focusing on the reverberation of events and how past events serve as guides for the future, Legacies and Memories in Movements brings together the literature on collective memory and social movements for the first time.