Politics and Society in Contemporary Spain: From Zapatero to Rajoy (original) (raw)

This book offers a comprehensive and nuanced analysis of contemporary Spain. Focusing on the second term of Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the dramatic defeat of the Socialists in the 2011 elections and the alternation of power to the conservative Popular Party, it underscores Spain’s deep economic and political crisis. The contributors analyze Spain’s political parties, parliamentary dynamics, territorial politics, economy and labor market. Additionally, they examine the relationship between the government and the labor unions, the “indignant” protest movement, and the Catholic Church, as well as policy developments related to gender equality and the welfare state. Chapters by Alfonso Botti, Anna Bosco, Bonnie N. Field, César Colino, Óscar Molina and Alejandro Godino, Kerstin Hamann, Carmelo Adagio, Mireno Berrettini, Celia Valiente and Eloísa del Pino.