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Anwen Eliasa and Filippo Tronconi (eds.)
Braumüller, Vienna, 2011, 372pp., EUR29.90,
ISBN: 978-3700317593
Beginning in the 1960, new movements emerged, posing a challenge to the electoral dominance of traditional parties in Western Europe. These included those representing environmental movements, the extreme right as well as territorial parties that sought self-government, autonomy or independence for their given region. While the ascendancy of Green and extreme right parties is well documented in the literature, editors Anwen Elias and Filippo Trononci assert that, in comparison, autonomist parties have been neglected, in particular their paths from initial organization (protest) to influencing territorial restructuring (power). This edited volume aims to fill this gap, undertaking a systematic analysis of 14 Western European autonomist parties, tracing their development from initial mobilization, examining significant markers or thresholds attained by a given party and finally assessing the impact of these parties on the territorial reorganization of the state in which they operate. The work, which includes the analysis of parties from within five Western European states, represents an ambitious attempt to develop a model of party development.
Building upon the model of party development proposed by Pedersen (1992), Elias and Tronconi develop a framework for the analysis of the lifespan of autonomist parties. The authors put forth the hypothesis that the achievement of certain thresholds will play a role in shaping the party's structural organization and territorial goals. These thresholds include the declaration of intent to participate in a given electoral contest, the granting of necessary permissions by relevant authorities, securing representation, the achievement of relevance...