Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T19:04:39.777Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Employer preferences and political alignments during the Eurocrisis: Evidence from the Portuguese case

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2019

Marco Lisi Open the ORCID record for Marco Lisi [Opens in a new window]  and
João Loureiro
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper strives to shed light on the interaction between business groups and the main governing parties after the onset of the economic crisis through a “thick narrative” approach. By focusing on the Portuguese case, the study aims to examine the preferences of the employer confederations during the distinct phases of the economic crisis and to analyze the political alignments established with different party governments. This contribution confirms the fragmentation of business interests on the one hand and tensions between the right-wing government and the main employer confederations on the other. While a pragmatic approach to party politics seems to be the predominant trend, historical and institutional legacies are still important factors when considering the actions and inner tensions of these organizations.

Keywords

business associationsEurozone crisisinterest groupspolitical partiesparty-group relationsPortugal
Type
Research Article
Information
Business and Politics , Volume 21 , Issue 3 , September 2019 , pp. 385 - 414
Copyright
Copyright © V.K. Aggarwal 2019 and published under exclusive license to Cambridge University Press 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

†

This study was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), by a grant within the framework of the project “From Representation to Legitimacy: Political Parties and Interest Groups in Southern Europe” (PTDC/IVC-CPO/1864/2014).

References

Allern, Elin H., and Bale, Tim. 2012. “Political parties and interest groups: Disentangling complex relationships.” Party Politics 18 (1): 7–25.Google Scholar
Armingeon, Klaus, and Baccaro, Lucio. 2012. “Political Economy of the Sovereign Debt Crisis: The Limits of Internal Devaluation.” Industrial Law Journal 41 (3): 254–75. https://doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dws029.Google Scholar
Balbona, David, and Begega, Sergio. 2015. “Austerity and Welfare Reform in South-Western Europe: A Fareweel to Corporatism in Italy, Spain and Portugal?” European Journal of Social Security 17 (2): 271–91.Google Scholar
Brandl, Bernd, and Lehr, Alex. 2016. “The Strange Non-Death of Employer and Business Associations: An Analysis of Their Representativeness and Activities in Western European Countries.” Economic and Industrial Democracy. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X16669842.Google Scholar
Bulfone, Fabio, and Afonso, Alexandre. 2017. “Business Against Markets: Employer Resistance to Collective Bargaining Liberalisation During the Eurozone Crisis.” Paper presented at the Council of European Studies Conference, Glasgow.Google Scholar
Confederação dos Agricultores de Portugal. 2010. “CAP considera inconsistentes as medidas orçamentais do governo.” [online] CAP. Available at: http://www.cap.pt/imprensa/comunicados-de-imprensa/1183-cap-considera-inconsistentes-as-medidas-orcamentais-do-governo.html.Google Scholar
Confederação do Comércio e Serviços de Portugal. 2013. “Comentários e Propostas sobre o OE 2014 e a Reforma do IRC.”Google Scholar
Confederação Empresarial de Portugal. 2016. “Comunicado conjunto CAP, CCP, CIP e CTP – O Orçamento de Estado para 2016.” [online] Confederação Empresarial de Portugal. Available at: http://cip.org.pt/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Comunicado-conjunto-OE-2016.pdf.Google Scholar
Cioffi, John W., and Dubin, Kenneth A.. 2016. “Commandeering Crisis: Partisan Labor Repression in Spain under the Guise of Economic Reform.” Politics & Society 44 (3): 423–53.Google Scholar
Coen, David, Grant, Wyn, and Wilson, Graham. 2010. The Oxford Handbook of Business and Government. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Culpepper, Pepper. 2014. “The Political Economy of Unmediated Democracy: Italian Austerity under Mario Monti.” West European Politics 37 (6): 1264–81.Google Scholar
Culpepper, Pepper, and Regan, Aidan. 2014. “Why Don't Governments Need Trade Unions Anymore? The Death of Social Pacts in Ireland and Italy.” Socio-Economic Review 12 (4): 723–45.Google Scholar
De Giorgi, Elisabetta, and Pereira, José Santana. 2016. “The 2015 Portuguese Legislative Election: Widening the Coalitional Space and Bringing the Extreme Left In.” South European Society & Politics 21 (4): 451–68.Google Scholar
Degryse, Christophe, Jepsen, Maria, and Pochet, Philippe. 2013. “The Euro crisis and its impact on national and European social policies.” ETUI Working Paper 2013.05. Brussels: ETUI.Google Scholar
della Porta, Donatella, and Keating, Michael. 2008. “How Many Approaches in the Social Sciences? An Epistemological Introduction.” In Approaches and Methodologies in the Social Sciences. A Pluralist Perspective, edited by Porta, Donatella della and Keating, Michale. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
della Porta, Donatella, Andretta, Massimiliano, Fernandes, Tiago, O'Connor, Francis, Romanos, Eduardo, and Vogiatzoglou, Markos. eds. 2017. Late Neoliberalism and its Discontents in the Economic Crisis. London: Springer.Google Scholar
Dray, Guilherme. coord. 2016. Livro Verde sobre as Relações Laborais. Lisbon: GEP-MTSSS.Google Scholar
Dür, Andreas, Bernhagen, Patrick, and Marshall, David. 2015. “Interest group success in the European Union: When (and why) does business lose?” Comparative Political Studies 48 (8): 951–83.Google Scholar
Fernandes, Jorge M., Magalhães, Pedro C., and Santana-Pereira, José. 2018. “Portugal's Leftist Government: From Sick Man to Poster Boy?” South European Society and Politics, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13608746.2018.1525914.Google Scholar
Ferguson, Thomas, Jorgensen, Paul, and Chen, Jie. 2013. “Party Competition and Industrial Structure in the 2012 Elections.” International Journal of Political Economy 42 (2): 3–41.Google Scholar
Fernández-Albertos, José, and Kuo, Alexander. 2016. “Economic Hardship and Policy Preferences in the Eurozone Periphery: Evidence From Spain.” Comparative Political Studies 49 (7): 874–906.Google Scholar
Hamann, Kerstin. 2001. “Spain: Changing party–group relations in a new democracy.” In Political Parties and Interest Groups: Shaping Democractic Governance., edited by Thomas, Clive S.. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Heywood, Paul. 1995. The Government and Politics of Spain. New York: Macmillan Education.Google Scholar
Lanza, Orazio, and Lavdas, Kostas. 2000. “The Disentanglement of Interest Politics: Business Associability, the Parties and Policy in Italy and Greece.” European Journal of Political Research 37: 203–35.Google Scholar
Lanzalaco, Luca. 2008. “Business Interest Associations.” In The Oxford Handbook of Business History, edited by Jones, Geoffrey and Zeitlin, Jonathan. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Lizzi, Renata. 2014. “Party-Group Disentanglement in the Italian Case: An Introduction.” Contemporary Italian Politics 6 (3): 238–48.Google Scholar
Lucena, Manuel de, and Gaspar, Carlos. 1992. “Metamorfoses Corporativas? Associações de Interesses Económicos e Institucionalização da Democracia Em Portugal (II).” Análise Social 27 (15): 135–87.Google Scholar
Martins, Manuel Meirinho. 2004. Participação Política e Democracia - O Caso Português (1975–2000). Lisbon: Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas.Google Scholar
Mavrogordatos, George Th. 2009. “Models of Party-Interest Group Relations and the Uniqueness of the Greek Case.” Paper presented at the Political Parties and Civil Society ECPR Joint Sessions, Lisbon, 14–19 April 2009.Google Scholar
Martinelli, Alberto. 1980. “Organised Business and Italian Politics: Confindustria and the Christian Democrats in the Postwar Period”. In Italy in Transition, edited by Lange, Peter and Tarrow, Sidney. London: Frank Cass.Google Scholar
McMenamin, Iain, and Schoenman, Roger. 2007. “Together Forever? Explaining Exclusivity in Party-Firm Relations.” Political Studies 55 (1): 153–73.Google Scholar
Molina, Óscar, and Rhodes, Martin. 2007. “The Political Economy of Adjustment in Mixed Market Economies: A Study of Spain and Italy.” In Beyond Varieties of Capitalism: Conflict, contradictions and complementarities in the European economy, edited by Hancké, Bob, Rhodes, Martin and Thatcher, Mark. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Molina, Óscar, and Miguélez, Fausto. 2013. “From Negotiation to Imposition: Social dialogue in austerity times.” ILO Working Paper 51. Geneva: International Labour Organisation.Google Scholar
Morlino, Leonardo. 1998. Democracy between Consolidation and Crisis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Natali, David, and Pritoni, Andrea. 2014. “Parties and Interest Groups in Italy: The Case of Pensions Policy.” Contemporary Italian Politics 6 (3): 249–60.Google Scholar
Naumman, Reinhard. 2007. “Portugal.” In Handbook of Business Interest Associations, Firm Size and Governance: a comparative analytical approach, edited by Traxler, Franz and Huemer, Gerhard. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Nonell, Rosa, and Medina, Iván. 2015. “Organisational Tensions and Competing Interests Among Spain's Business Organisations.” Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas 151: 99–120.Google Scholar
Offe, Claus, and Wiesenthal, Helmut. 1980. “Two logics of collective action: Theoretical notes on social class and organizational form.” Political Power and Social Theory 1 (1): 67–115.Google Scholar
Pedroso, Paulo. 2014. Portugal and the Global Crisis. Lisbon: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.Google Scholar
Poguntke, Thomas. 2006. “Political Parties and Other Organizations.” In Handbook of Party Politics, edited by Katz, Richard S. and Crotty, William J.. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Puntscher Riekmann, Sonja, and Wydra, Doris. 2013. “Representation in the European State of Emergency: Parliaments against Governments?” Journal of European Integration 35 (5): 565–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/07036337.2013.799943.Google Scholar
Razzuoli, Isabella, and Raimundo, Filipa. 2018. “Party-Interest Group Relations in Portugal. Organizational Linkages and Party Strategies (2008–15).” Mediterranean Politics.Google Scholar
Regan, Aidan. 2017. “Rethinking social pacts in Europe: Prime ministerial power in Ireland and Italy». European Journal of Industrial Relations.” 23 (2): 117–33.Google Scholar
Romano, Pedro. 2017. Conhecer a Crise. Dados e Factos. Lisbon: Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos.Google Scholar
Sabel, Charles F. 1981. “The Internal Politics of Trade Unions.” In Organizing Interest in Western Europe, edited by Berger, Suzanne. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Schmitter, Philippe C. 2008. “The Changing Politics of Organised Interests.” West European Politics 31 (1): 195–210.Google Scholar
Schmitter, Philippe C., and Streeck, Wolfgang. 1999. “The Organization of Business Interests: Studying the Associative Action of Business in Advanced Industrial Societies.” MPLfG Discussion Paper 99/1.Google Scholar
Serrano, Melisa, Xhafa, Edlira, and Fichter, Michale (eds.). 2011. Trade Unions and the Global Crisis. Labour's visions, strategies and responses. Geneva: International Labour Office.Google Scholar
Silvia, Stephen J., and Schroeder, Wolfgang. 2007. “Why are German Employers Associations Declining? Arguments and Evidence.” Comparative Political Studies 40 (12): 1433–59.Google Scholar
Sotiropoulos, Dimitri. 2018. “Political Party–Interest Group Linkages in Greece Before and After the Onset of the Economic Crisis.” Mediterranean Politics, https://doi.org/10.1080/13629395.2018.1428149.Google Scholar
Streeck, Wolfgang, and Visser, Jelle. 2006. “Conclusions: Organized Business Facing Internationalization.” In Governing Interests. Business Associations Facing Internationalization, edited by Streeck, Wolfgang, Grote, Jurgen, Schneider, Volker, and Visser, Jelle. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Távora, Isabel, and González, Pilar. 2016. “Labour Market Regulation and Collective Bargaining in Portugal during the Crisis: Continuity and Change.” European Journal of Industrial Relations 22 (3): 251–65.Google Scholar
Traxler, Franz. 2010. “The long-term development of organized business and its implications for corporatism: A cross-national comparison of membership, activities and governing capacities of business interest associations, 1980–2003.” European Journal of Political Research 49: 151–73.Google Scholar
TSF. 2010. “Confederações patronais pedem viabilização do OE2011.” [online] TSF. Available at: https://www.tsf.pt/economia/orcamento/interior/confederacoes-patronais-pedem-viabilizacao-do-oe2011-1697353.html.Google Scholar
TSF. 2011. Gente que conta, TSF, 29 May.Google Scholar
Vatta, Alessia. 2001. “Concertation and Employers’ Organizations in Italy: The Case of Confindustria.” South European Society and Politics 6 (3): 103–22.Google Scholar
Verge, Tània. 2012. “Party Strategies towards Civil Society in New Democracies: The Spanish Case.” Party Politics 18 (1): 45–60.Google Scholar
Arnold, Wilts. 2013. “Strategies of business interest associations in the Netherlands and Germany: European priorities or domestic concerns?” Politique européenne 7: 96–115.Google Scholar
Woll, Cornelia. 2006. “National Business Associations under Stress: Lessons from the French Case.” West European Politics 29 (3): 489–512.Google Scholar
Worth, Owen. 2018. “The battle for hegemony: Resistance and neoliberal restructuring in post-crisis Europe.” Comparative European Politics 16 (1): 126–42.Google Scholar
Wilson, Graham, and Grant, Wyn. 2010. “Business and Political Parties.” In The Oxford Handbook of Business and Government, edited by Coen, David, Grant, Wyn, and Wilson, Graham. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Yackee, Jason Webb, and Yackee, Susan Webb. 2006. “A Bias toward Business? Assessing Interest Group Influence on the Bureaucracy.” Journal of Politics 68 (1): 128–39.Google Scholar