The Crisis of Government in Italy

In: New left review: NLR, Heft 213, S. 76-95

Abstract

Economic & political causes of crisis within the contemporary Italian political system are identified. An overview of the circumstances that produced the emergence of a technocratic Italian government during the early & mid-1990s is presented. An additional overview of Italy's economic situation during the 1980s & early 1990s is provided, revealing how the combined efforts of the emergent technocracy, neo-corporatism, & the Democratic Party of the Left contributed to create financial vitality. Attention is then directed toward analyzing the Italian public's decision to withdraw political support from the nation's elite during the early 1990s, whether the political challengers succeeded in meeting Italian citizens' demands, & how the Democratic Party of the Left reacted to these developments. In addition, the difficulties experienced by Italian political parties, particularly those on the political Left, that have resulted from Italy's "incomplete modernization" are considered; the prospects of successfully implementing a novel modernization program in Italy are also contemplated. J. W. Parker