The French and Italian case studies benefited from a series of interviews conducted in 2011 and 2012 at various French and Italian parties and unions that can broadly be categorised as either leftist or centre-left. What follows is a brief outline of how the interviewees were selected and how the interviews themselves were conducted.

The first step was of course the selection of the organisations to be contacted. In the case of political parties, I sought interviews at parties that held seats when the reforms I focus upon were passed: in Italy, this led me to contact the Partito Democratico, Italia dei Valori, Partito della Rifondazione Comunista, and Partito dei Comunisti Italiani; in France, the relevant parties were the Parti Socialiste, Parti Radical de Gauche, Europe Écologie – Les Verts, and Parti Communiste Français. Given the relevance of labour unions, I also sought interviews with officials at the three large union confederations in each country: in Italy, these were the Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori, Unione Italiana del Lavoro, and Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro; while in France, they were the Confédération Française Démocratique des Travailleurs, Force Ouvriére, and Confédération Générale du Travail.

I then contacted the national headquarters of the parties and unions. After outlining my research project, I asked to make an appointment with someone in the relevant section of the organisation, so as to inquire about the organisation's positions on the relevant topics and policies. Although I was unable to obtain interviews in all instances, I was able to speak with individuals at the Partito Democratico, Italia dei Valori, Partito della Rifondazione Comunista, Partito dei Comunisti Italiani, Europe Écologie – Les Verts, Parti Communiste Français, Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, Force Ouvriére, and Confédération Générale du Travail. Interview subjects tended to be national directors or presidents of the relevant sections, though in some cases I was given interviews with former or current elected politicians, national secretaries, and editors-in-chief of party reviews. On a few occasions I was able to interview more than one subject at a given organisation.