Transformations in Spanish Politics, 1982–2013

Abstract

Throughout this book we have documented a number of important transformations in the functioning of Spain’s democratic institutions since the transition to democracy. Spain has moved from a newly democratic state to a well-established democracy characterized by a far-reaching welfare state. At the same time, a “normally functioning” democracy should not be read to mean a perfect one. Increased party polarization, a decreasing role of the legislature, a decline in mandate responsiveness, a great focus on a small number of policy issues such as the economic crisis, regional demands for increasing political autonomy or even secession, a continuous decline of media freedom, and a media system that encourages a government-opposition game in which highly publicized issues are considered largely for their value in the next election are important challenges for the functioning and health of Spanish democracy. So, while Spain has normalized as a democratic country, so has it developed many of the imperfections that are common in other Western democracies. We review these and other issues in this concluding chapter, beginning with the most important one, which is certainly not peculiar to Spain: the scarcity of political attention.