1998 Portuguese referendums
Authors: André Freire, Michael A. Baum
Page: 5-19
DOI: 10.1386/pjss.2.1.5/0
Abstract
In 1998 Portugal held its first two national referendums since its democratic transition began in 1974. In theory, the referendums on liberalizing access to abortion and instituting a new regional level of governance represented a new opportunity for civil society groups to make their voices heard on important issues of the day, thereby revitalizing the quality of the country’s democracy. Instead, most Portuguese voters stayed at home and the status quo was maintained. Our paper, based on interviews with over forty national, regional and local-level political elites during 1998, offers a general overview of the institutional and political context of both referendums, of the campaigns and the results, and it seeks to explain the role of social structural factors, political parties, and pressure groups in both abstention and voting choices in the referendums. These findings are then used as a springboard for some tentative conclusions about the future of direct democracy in Portugal.
The thematization of the information society in TV advertisements
Authors: Ruth Gregório
Page: 21-38
DOI: 10.1386/pjss.2.1.21/0
Abstract
This article aims to present the preliminary results of a doctoral research project being currently undertaken. It is divided into five main parts. First, a brief presentation of the subject matter of the doctoral research, namely the thematization of the information society in TV advertisements in Portugal and Ireland. Second, the rationale for a comparative study between these two countries will be indicated. Third, the mixed methodology of the study will be introduced, i.e. content analysis and semiotics. In the fourth part the data analysis referring to the first phase of the empirical study will be presented. Then the article will end with some final remarks on the future direction of the doctoral research.
Integralismo Lusitano and Action Française
Authors: Stewart Lloyd-Jones
Page: 39-59
DOI: 10.1386/pjss.2.1.39/0
Abstract
The Portuguese Integralist movement, Integralismo Lusitano, has often been described as little more than a derivative copy of its French peer, Action Française. This paper seeks to examine three important elements of both movements’ ideology – their nationalism, their support for monarchism and their promotion of corporatism – in an attempt to determine whether these claims are valid. By comparing the writings and actions of both movements’ leaderships, it is possible to conclude that the similarities between these movements were, for the most part, more apparent than real.
Aspects of Portugal’s economic development during the late Estado Novo
Authors: David Corkill
Page: 61-72
DOI: 10.1386/pjss.2.1.61/0
Abstract
This article focuses on the progress of the Portuguese economy under Salazar’s successor, Marcelo Caetano (1968-74). It examines some of its chief features of economic development in this period, noting that change was often double-edged and created new problems and challenges. Eventually, the direction of the economy became another issue that divided the supporters of the dictatorship as the international crisis triggered by the oil price rises imposed by OPEC in 1973 blew the regime’s economic strategy off course. It is argued here that, while it was not the principal reason for Caetano’s demise, the state of the economy did play a significant part in weakening the regime’s foundations.
Book Reviews
Author: Stephen Syrett
Page: 73-74
DOI: 10.1386/pjss.2.1.73/0
Abstract
Southern Europe and the making of the European Union , A.C. Pinto and N.S. Teixeira (eds.) (2002)
Portuguese Journal of Social Science 