Description
Book Synopsis Italy in 2013 seemed to be continually on the cusp of substantive reform and forward motion, but never quite achieved it. The previous two years had seen the fall of the Berlusconi government and the beginning of the end of the Second Republic, followed by the predominance of technocrats in office. In contrast, 2013 proved to be a year of incomplete transitions, marked by a period during which the Italian political and institutional system reached a near complete stalemate. Grand coalitions were incapable of substantive decision-making, bold initiatives languished in the legislature, foreign policy actions faltered and failed, and the government showed a continued inability to effectively tackle the real economic and social issues that faced the country. Thus, in many ways, Italy has been muddling through as it did following the fall of the First Republic. Although some of the political developments that took place in the waning months of the year may prove to be the foundation for future momentous changes, it is very likely that 2014 will prove to be a further continuation of the seemingly endless transitional period in Italy.
Table of Contents List of Abbreviations
Chronology of Italian Political Events, 2013
Compiled by Rinaldo Vignati
Introduction: Still Waiting for the Transformation
Carlo Fusaro and Amie Kreppel
Chapter 1. The Elections of 2013: A Tsunami with No Winners
Alessandro Chiaramonte
Chapter 2. Neither First Nor Second Order: The 2013 Regional and Local Elections
Emanuele Massetti and Giulia Sandri
Chapter 3. A Fight to the Death: The Challenge of the Five Star Movement and the Democratic Party’s Reactions
James L. Newell
Chapter 4. The Center-Right in 2013: Evolution of the Parties and the Party System
Caterina Paolucci
Chapter 5. Not Just Berlusconi: Balances, Counterbalances, and Media in the Relationship between Justice and Politics
Daniela Piana
Chapter 6. The Letta Cabinet(s): Government Formation and (In)stability in Times of Crisis—a Spatial Approach
Andrea Ceron and Luigi Curini
Chapter 7. The Election of the President of the Republic: The Legacy of the Napolitano Presidency
Francesco Clementi
Chapter 8. The President and the “Wisemen”: Institutional Reforms and Political Stalemate
Luca Lanzalaco
Chapter 9. Who Decides Foreign and Defense Policy in Italy?
Riccardo Bellandi
Chapter 10. The Italian Banking System: Banca Monte dei Paschi’s Scandal and the Euro Area’s Sovereign Debt Crisis
Lucia Quaglia
Chapter 11. The Big Chill: Italian Family Budgets after the Great Recession
Andrea Brandolini
Chapter 12. Italiani Anche Noi: Minister Kyenge, Children of Immigrants, and the Pathway to Citizenship Reform
Georgia Bianchi
Chapter 13. Women’s Rights in a Conservative Country: Snail’s Pace Progress or a Watershed Year?
Alessia Donà
Documentary Appendix
Compiled by Valentina Sartori
Abstracts
