The Italians who Vote

Since the 1980s, Italy’s political transformations have been numerous, shaping how Italians relate to electoral choices. While four major international events marked this process—the fall of colonialism, the collapse of the USSR, the rise of China, and the migratory flows toward Europe—Italian political parties have also evolved in response to deeper, more subtle shifts, creating a constantly changing landscape. The era of large ideological and identity-based parties—most notably the DC and PCI—was followed by that of political poles, which ended with Berlusconi’s downfall and the rise of technocratic governments. Meanwhile, party representation continued to fragment and reassemble around new players such as the Five Star Movement and Brothers of Italy. Political blocs clashed in transient and shifting forms, forging alliances and renewing rivalries, forming governments and dismantling coalitions. What, in the meantime, has become of Italians’ political sentiment? How and why has their relationship with voting changed? While there is clear evidence of a growing gap between parties and the electorate, the dichotomous attitude of political forces seems to be mirrored among voters themselves. How do the alarming rise in abstentionism and electoral volatility coexist with this kind of active radicalization?

Forty years after his previous study on Italian voting behavior, Renato Mannheimer returns—this time with Pasquale Pasquino—to analyze the electoral choices of Italians once again, in an effort to grasp the historical phenomena that continue to evolve. A rigorous, scientific snapshot that also serves as a strikingly accurate portrait of the Italian people.