University of Valencia, 10 de Diciembre de 2021.
How does party politics contribute to increasing support for independence
in a democratic country? The literature on secession has tended to emphasize
the role of socioeconomic and institutional factors or “preconditions” in
explaining demands for independence (Wood, 1981), particularly in countries
that have experienced recent processes of decentralization. This perspective
usually implies that these demands remain stable over time, as a consequence
of ethnic divisions produced in the formation of modern states and the
survival of peripheral identities (Flora et al., 2007). However, recent examples
of growing callsfor independence referendums indicate the relevance of political
agency (like leadership or party demands) in these secessionist movements.
