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This article discusses 15-M and anti-austerity mobilizations in Spain from the perspective of repression and penalization. The literature has paid a great deal of attention to the consequences of this cycle of protest in relation to the quality of democratic participation and governance; it could be argued that the 15-M movement has raised the standards for key aspects of Spanish democracy. In articulating new counter-hegemonic claims, however, 15-M mobilizations have created an opportunity for new forms of repression. Drawing on criminology, socio-legal studies, and mobilization literature, we argue that this cycle of protest has been penalized. This involves a combination of technologies of repression that include invasive policing, securitization, and criminalization. Penalization needs to be seen as a dissent-suppressing mechanism, a negative response by political authorities and private actors that thrives when societies suffer from widespread anxieties about insecurity and crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of EMPIRIA: Revista de Metodología de Ciencias Sociales is the property of Editorial UNED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Methaodos: Social Science Journal / Methaodos: Revista de Ciencias Sociales is the property of Departamento de Ciencias de la Comunicacion y Sociologia, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article discusses the effect of judicial review on the quality of local government services England and Wales. It offers information on the nature of judicial review such as it focuses on legal duties and powers of public authorities, judges use common law principles which are not rooted in government policies, and the litigation is instituted by people with grievances from actions of public officials. Particular focus is given to the levels of challenge and the quality of performance of local authority.

Copyright of Revista de Estudios Políticos is the property of Centro de Estudios Politicos y Constitucionales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Women attracted the lion's share of government initiatives in the area of citizenship rights during the government of Zapatero (2004-8) in Spain. Highlights of these efforts were policies on gender violence and gender equality. We analyse these policies in terms of their scope, people's awareness, implementation and the level of support from other parties in the opposition. We then look for the possible impact of these policies on the gender gap in political interest and voting orientations. We find that equality policies might have motivated some women, former IU voters, to switch their vote for the PSOE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the Spanish gay and lesbian movement, and discusses its role in the legalization of same-sex marriages. The main focus is on the interplay between gay and lesbian rights organizations and leftist political parties during a time span that goes back to the late 1970s. In order to shed new light on the links between protest, interest representation and policy change, including law reform, this article combines the analysis of political opportunities and the exploration of some fundamental decisions taken by social movement organizations on their engagement with mainstream politics. The main argument is that impact in the area of law reform is brought about only when available opportunities for change are seized by politically incorporated social movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relationships between the judicial review and the quality of the local government services in Great Britain as an incentive to change the latter. It states that the results of the initial comprehensive quantitative study on its relationships have found that judicial review litigation contributes positively to the local governments of England and Wales however, it cannot be fully understood through incentives. It mentions that the judicial review promotes the central values of the public administration's ethos and helps officials in solving tensions among individual and collective justice under their responsibilities.