The Territorialisation of Interest Intermediation in Spain

Autor principal:
Iván Medina Iborra (Universitat de València)
Autores:
Rosa Nonell Torres (Universitat de Barcelona)
Programa:
Sesión 1
Día: martes, 14 de julio de 2015
Hora: 09:00 a 11:00
Lugar: Aula 6

This paper explores the territorial dimension of interest intermediation in Spain, following the new theoretical developments in the field of New Regionalism, as well as Industrial Relations. In this vein, there is a new line of research addressing the rescaling of traditional state-centric functions, from policy-making to interest articulation which somehow impact on the logics of organised interests. It seems interest groups are now likely to address regional politics as a relevant level of government, for its political and economic salience has increasingly gained momentum. This paper focuses on current regional Spanish politics, and on traditional interest groups: employers' associations and trade unions. We analyse two main features of such territorialisation of interest intermediation. On the one hand, we deal with the institutional accommodation of interest groups, if applicable, and its connection to classic theories of interest articulation (pluralism vs. neocorporatism), to further explore the emergence of a new (interest politics) style or rather the contrary: the consolidation of a uneven neocorporatist system. And, on the other hand, we focus on the policy side, meaning we assess to what extent traditional interest groups have managed to participate in the regional (economic and labour) policy-making through social pacts.

Palabras clave: Interest Groups, Regions, Corporatism, Employers, Trade Unions