Italian Politics

by D'Alimonte, Roberto; Nelken, David

• ISBN13: 9780813334417
• ISBN10: 0813334411
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-12-01
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

The year 1996 in Italian politics was a year rich in novelty. After the "stalled transition" of 1995, the political atmosphere had begun to change. Most obvious was the end of Dini's unelected government of technocrats, supported by a heterogeneous group in Parliament, and its replacement with Romano Prodi's government, a coalition of the parties that had won the general election on April 21, 1996. But an even more important change and one more likely to be remembered was a new climate of dialogue amongst the main political forces that emerged from this period of transition between two republics. In 1996, despite the general elections, cooperation again became part of the political game.In this volume, a collection of experts examine the political developments in Italy in 1996. An introduction by the volume editors sets the tone for the year and is followed by comprehensive discussion of such issues as the general elections of April, the new placement of Left, Center-Left, andLega Nord,the Scalfaro presidency, the Andreotti trials, Italian involvement in the European Union, and the politics of intervention in Bosnia. The volume includes two invaluable reference sections: a full chronology of the political events of the year and an appendix containing a wealth of statistical data on Italian election results, political parties, and the economy.

Author Biography

Roberto D’Alimonte is professor of the Italian political system at the University of Florence. David Nelken is professor of sociology at the University of Macerata and distinguished research professor of law at the University of Wales at Cardiff. Roberto D’Alimonte is professor of the Italian political system at the University of Florence. David Nelken is professor of sociology at the University of Macerata and distinguished research professor of law at the University of Wales at Cardiff.

Table of Contents

Chronology of Italian Political Events, 1996	1	(16)
1 Introduction: A Year of Difficult Dialogue	17	(16)
Roberto D'Alimonte
David Nelken
2 The General Elections of 21 April 1996	33	(18)
Alessandro Chiaramonte
3 Forza Italia: Old Problems Linger On	51	(14)
Patrick McCarthy
4 The Lega Nord: From Federalism to Secession	65	(18)
Ilvo Diamanti
5 The Italian Left After the 1996 Elections	83	(20)
Stephen Hellmann
6 Majoritarian and Proportional Electoral Systems: The Sicilian Case	103	(22)
Orazio Lanza
Riccardo Motta
7 The Government of the Ulivo	125	(18)
Simon Parker
8 The Majoritarian System, Act II: Parliament and Parliamentarians in 1996	143	(26)
Luca Verzichelli
9 The Scalfaro Presidency in 1996: The Difficult Return to Normality	169	(14)
David Hine
Emanuela Poli
10 Politics and Consumption: The Four Revolutions of Spectator Football	183	(16)
Nicola Porro
11 Italian Intervention in Bosnia and the (Slow) Redefinition of Defense Policy	199	(20)
Paolo Bellucci
12 Statesman or Godfather? The Andreotti Trials	219	(14)
Percy Allum
13 The Italian Presidency of the European Union	233	(14)
Philip Daniels
Documentary Appendix	247	(28)
Marzia Zannini
About the Editors and Contributors	275	(2)
Index	277