Introduction

NGOs (non-governmental organisations) are relative newcomers to Spanishpolitics. Absent during Franco’s dictatorship (1939– 1975),except for some social organisations with religious roots, NGOs suddenlyemerged during the transition to democracy in the 1970s, thus increasingassociative pluralism. However, the upsurge gradually lessened over time(Linz, 1981). Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, NGOs began to represent a morestable group, legitimised by governments as policy actors(Pérez-Díaz and López-Novo, 2003; Revilla, 2002;Muñoz Marquez, 2016a). This recognition enabled NGOs to develop theircapacity as information providers in the political process. The maturationof NGOs as political actors occurred in parallel with the construction ofthe welfare state in Spain, the emergence of new social challenges and thesecularisation of society, all of which somehow prompted a rise indemocratic demand for citizen participation (Pérez Yruela and Giner,1988; Ruíz Olabuénaga, 2006; Marbán andRodríguez, 2006; Muñoz Marquez, 2016a). In the last twodecades, a consolidation and renovation process has taken place. NGOs haveconverged with European Union (EU) national models in several respects: 1)growing collaboration with governments; 2) a focus on the provision ofsocial services to the detriment of the civic functions of mobilisation andassertion of rights; 3) functional specialisation among social serviceprovision and advocacy entities, though the most important ones combine bothfunctions; and 4) the creation of platforms and the progressive use of thesocial economy as a source of funding (Marbán et al, 2020).

Most analyses of Spanish NGOs have focused on their weight in the Spanisheconomy by emphasising, for instance, their contribution to GDP and jobcreation (Rodríguez Cabrero, 2003; Zurdo Alaguero, 2003;García Delgado and Jiménez, 2004; Ruíz Olabuenaga,2006; Marcuello, 2007; Ariño, 2008). Some have also evaluated theirrole as social service providers and in implementing social policies(Moreno, 1995; Mota, 1999; Giner and Montagut, 2005). However, little isknown about their role in the political process and, more specifically, onthe supply side of policy analysis (Rodríguez Cabrero, 2015;Marbán et al, 2020). This chapter aims to contribute to this branchof research and increase knowledge of the presence of NGOs as policy expertsin the policy-making process. Specifically, the goal is to explain theextent to which these organisations advise the government and parliamentthrough participatory or advisory bodies.