The Italian Particracy: Beyond President and Parliament

Calise, Mauro

doi:10.2307/2152613

Cited by 33 publications

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“…This peculiar political context, by guaranteeing only to few political actors (PSI and DC) the stable monopoly of access to state resources and government personnel (Calise, 1994), by incentivising the shift of political negotiations from government and parliamentary institutions towards party structures and by increasing the spoil system, triggered the rise of particracy (Deschouwer et al, 1996). The development of particracy within the Italian political system entailed the substantial enhancement of corruption and clientelism practices, and a huge increase in the public debt and inefficiency of the state (Cotta and Isernia, 1996).…”

Section: The Transformations and The Recurring Crises Of Italian Demomentioning

confidence: 99%

Political system, civil society and institutions in Italy: The quality of democracy

2013

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Italy's economy and polity are considered to be continuously in turmoil.The recent multiplication of corruption affairs, the spreading of clientelistic practices, the internal economic crisis and the decline in the country's role on the European and international stages suggest that Italy is at a political and historical turning point. For the above stated reasons, it appears relevant to re-evaluate the state and quality of Italian democracy. On the basis of a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, this study aims to analyse the recent changes in Italian polity, economy and society in order to assess whether Italy can be considered as a 'deviant case' among European countries. In this article, we present a preliminary reflection on this research question and we outline the topics of concern that will be explored in this special issue. The first part of the article highlights the transformation of Italian democracy over the years with an emphasis on the persisting inconsistency between institutions and civil society. The second part of this article addresses the problem of the current political and economic crisis and the erosion of the democratic quality of Italian political and institutional settings. The third section addresses the question of whether Italy, in a comparative perspective, can be considered alternatively a 'backward' country in terms of democratic development, a political and institutional laboratory of future trends, an anomaly compared to other European democracies or, finally, a specific variation of common trends already characterizing other European democracies.

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Section: The Transformations and The Recurring Crises Of Italian Demomentioning

confidence: 99%

Political system, civil society and institutions in Italy: The quality of democracy

2013

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“…(Pasquino 2000, p. 93). We have defined the partitocracy as 'rule by parties', argued by many scholars as deforming and harmful to Italian post-war democracy (Calise 1994;Bufacchi & Burgess 2001;Guarnieri i2004). Their argument is that the penetration of political parties into the political process has deformed Italian democracy and has thereby produced a partitocracy, resulting in the weakness of civic sense and the decline in respect for numerous State institutions.…”

Section: Party Rule and The Blocked Political Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is clearly merit in this objection although the argument seems to contain more of the self-justification that there is always something positive in a negative. Calise (1994) when describing the Italian political system between 1948 and 1992 defined it as being neither presidential nor a parliamentary regime. 'Italy is a partitocracy, a term that might appear self-evident… a kind of party government albeit with more negative connotations… ' (1994, p. 442).…”

Section: Party Rule and The Blocked Political Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Italy: Political Instability? Real or Perceived?

Mascitelli¹

2006

The International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Commun

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Italy experienced a political system during the post war period which many have defined as a "particracy" of a "polarised" kind. This produced a permanent one party government (run by the Christian Democracy) along with a one party opposition (the Italian Communist Party). There was no alternation in government which subsequently brought on other difficulties not to mention a "deficit in democracy". The system was defined by some as being "blocked". With the end of the Cold War in 1991 and the political crisis which followed soon after (in 1992-94), changes occurred to the Italian political process. Traditional parties that had dominated the political process ceased to exist or radically changed. New parties emerged including Forza Italia, the party of the current Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi. Corruption revelations uncovered a systemic wholesale level of political corruption cutting across most parties and factions. Changes occurred as a result of these new political developments. In part there were specific reforms to the political machinery such as electoral reform. In addition the political culture changed which began to see a bi-polar political alternation of centre left versus centre right. Did these changes produce a different, more stable Italy? Were these changes of a kind which produced a new political system, a new republic? Have the fundamental weakness of the Italian political system been overcome?

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“…• interpretations of the crisis (Caciagli et al 1994;Calise 1994;Cotta and Isernia 1996;.edele 1994;Gilbert 1995;Ginsburg 1996;Morlino and Tarchi 1996;Pizzorno 1993;Salvadori 1994 Parisi 1997a, 1997b;DAlimonte and Bartolini 1997;Morlino 1997a;Parisi and Schadee 1995); • and sectional studies assessing how much change, if any, was finally achieved (.abbrini and Vassallo 1999;.errera 1998;Morlino 1996Morlino , 1997b.…”

Section: Ending the Uninished Revolution?mentioning

confidence: 99%

REVIEW ARTICLE - Studying Italian Politics since the 1990s

D'Amore¹

2002

South European Society and Politics

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The Italian Particracy: Beyond President and Parliament

Cited by 33 publications

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Political system, civil society and institutions in Italy: The quality of democracy

Political system, civil society and institutions in Italy: The quality of democracy

Italy: Political Instability? Real or Perceived?

REVIEW ARTICLE - Studying Italian Politics since the 1990s

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