ABSTRACT
The prevalent idea in the literature is that political parties move away from their allies in civil society when they enter government. The experience of the PT in public office shows that this is not always the case. Rather than a movement away from civil society, I argue, it is the nature of the relationship which mainly changes when a party shifts from opposition to government. Similar to the sub-national executive experiences of the PT analysed earlier, the Lula administration developed fluid relations with groups in civil society, and maintained close ties with them. However, the PT’s form of engagement with its allies in the socio-political field suffered several transformations when the party took possession of a large part of the state machinery. Reward-based linkages, mainly established through the distribution of jobs and state subsidies, acquired greater relevance, very often shaped by interpersonal linkages between party and social leaders in the PT field. The change of scale from municipal to national public office exacerbated some of these trends, which were already visible at the local level. In addition, Lula’s strong leadership over the PT socio-political field came to play an unprecedented role.
