Who is responsible for addressing climate change? How party systems shape movement-party cooperations and understandings of democracy in Germany and Austria

Historically, social movements and political parties had changing understandings of who contributes what to socio-political transitions. For the early workers’ movements, as well as the green ecological movements of the 1980s, it was clear that there had to be a steady strategic communication between parliamentary and extra-parliamentary organization to realize a better society. In contrast, contemporary mobilizations, such as Fridays for Future, make demands towards the parliamentary system but have declared to stay away from party politics. Drawing on a series of qualitative interviews with Fridays for Future activists and party functionaries in Germany and Austria, I compare how perceptions of the functioning of the party systems shape how movement activists and party functionaries form linkages: How do they understand the different roles of movements and parties? Which imaginations of democracy and logics of cooperation between institutions and extra-parliamentary mobilization do they maintain? Who is responsible for what? Results show differences that can be related to the varying openness of the party systems which facilitate or hinder party-movement-cooperations. Whereas German activists remain distant, but cooperate pragmatically with Green or leftist parties, Austrian activists are much more cautious and reject closer movement-party cooperations. By comparing the two party systems, I contribute to the better understanding of how party systems shape party-movement-cooperations and, more generally, how relationships between civil society, movements, and more traditional political channels such as political parties evolve.