ABSTRACT
This study brings the notion of governability to the party literature in order to examine the challenges and constraints that progressive parties face when they occupy executive public office. These challenges and constraints, I argue, are perceived and interpreted by party leaders in government and influence their responses. In this chapter I set out the case for incorporating the notion of governability into the study of political parties and explain the framework that I will use in this book. Unlike the most common views on governability, often focused on politico-institutional aspects, I broaden the lens by incorporating two important dimensions, the economic and social, both closely interrelated with the political dimension. I emphasise that governability can be both an analytical tool and a specific strategy that results from certain ideas and values. Hence, I use governability analytically to examine the way in which the PT accommodated the interests of key actors. I also look at governability as a strategy based on two different perspectives vis-à-vis such actors: the elite-centred and the social counter-hegemonic.
