Work

Policy Polarisation in Italy: The Short and Conflictual Life of the ‘Government of Change’ (2018–2019)

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: This article uses the concept of policy polarisation to understand the short and conflictual life of the Conte I cabinet which remained in office in Italy from June 2018 to September 2019. We show how policy polarisation in parliament and between coalition parties shaped the formation and termination of the so-called ‘government of change’. When investigating the implementation of the government agenda, we also assess the role of the coalition contract as an (ineffective) institutional solution to problems stemming from policy divisions between the Five Star Movement and the Lega. We argue that, despite some policy accomplishments of the government, the Five Star Movement-Lega coalition appears more as a temporary experiment, whose legacy may not represent a new course of action.

Source: South European Society & Politics

DOI: 10.1080/13608746.2020.1840110

Authors: Nicolò Conti, Andrea Pedrazzani, Federico Russo

Institutions: Unitelma Sapienza University, Sapienza University of Rome, University of Milan, University of Salento

Language: English

Topic: Electoral Systems and Political Participation

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W3096976079

FWCI: 6.939

Cites: 53

Cited by: 21

Related to: 10