5 - Mediated Appeals through Local Associations

Summary

This chapter tests the argument about new parties’ adoption of mobilization strategies in a context where they have limited access to organizational allies. Whereas most of the organizational allies discussed in Chapters 3 and 4 are major (often nationally organized) peak associations, MORENA could only rely on smaller, locally focused organizations. As this chapter shows, despite the different organizational structures, the shared experience of moments of solidarity also shaped whether party–organization ties later became institutionalized in this case; as a result, MORENA could consistently rely on organizationally mediated appeals. However, I find that the difference in the degree or level of organizational aggregation – aggregated/peak versus local organization – had important implications for the resulting party structures.