Participatory Institutions and Political Ideologies: How and Why They Matter?

Abstract

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Most of the research about participatory institutions has neglected the analysis of the role played by ideological preferences in their development. Do different political ideologies of governing parties develop different participatory processes? Our starting point is that diverse views on the core values of democracy should lead to different positions concerning the role and expected benefits of citizen participation. This article discusses two main questions. First, in case ideology matters, which is the crucial difference? Is this a matter of “right versus left” or is there a particular party family with special attentiveness to developing participatory institutions? Second, in case any difference exists, how exactly does it translate into the development of participatory institutions? Analyzing data from Spanish municipalities in the period 2003–2010, we show that the party families that had a relevant presence in local administrations in this time frame show more similarities than differences in the participatory activities implemented. However, some relevant differences are found related to the constituencies addressed and mobilized and the type of participatory processes developed.