Democratic consolidation and convergence in Southern Europe: The Italian case

In the analysis of democratic consolidation(s) in Southern Europe the emphasis has been on three main factors: the relevance of institutional rules, the scope and activities of parties (and party elites), and the establishment of certain relationships between institutions, parties and interests, connected to the size of the public sector of the economy. From the varied combinations of these factors different consolidations result: an elite‐based consolidation (Spain), a party‐based one (Italy), a state‐based one (Greece), and also a mixed party‐state model (Portugal). Our analysis also suggests the emergence of different types of democratic regime, mainly characterized by (i) either a ‘chancellor’ democracy or a parliamentary arrangement; (ii) either a pivotal or a secondary role for parties; and (iii) either a large or small public economic sector. Recently the economic crisis, the resulting problems, and discontent arising from other causes, have brought about change in these democracies. The main trans...

[1]  Bernard Grofman,et al.  Electoral Laws and Their Political Consequences , 1986 .

[2]  G. Sartori.  Parties and Party Systems: A Framework for Analysis , 1977 .

[3]  Arend Lijphart,et al.  Democracies: Patterns of Majoritarian and Consensus Government in , 1984 .

[4]  A. Chiaramonte.  GLI EFFETTI DISTORSIVI DEL NUOVO SISTEMA ELETTORALE , 1994, Italian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica.

[5]  Areno Lijphart,et al.  A Study of Twenty-Seven Democracies 1945-1990 , 1995 .

[6]  Matthew Soberg Shugart,et al.  Seats and Votes: The Effects and Determinants of Electoral Systems , 1989 .

[7]  Arend Lijphart,et al.  A mediterranean model of democracy? The Southern European democracies in comparative perspective , 1988 .

[8]  M. Duverger,et al.  A NEW POLITICAL SYSTEM MODEL: SEMI‐PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT , 1980 .

[9]  Kaare W. Strøm.  Democracy as Political Competition , 1992 .

[10]  M. Jones.  A Guide to the Electoral Systems of the Americas , 1995 .

[11]  G. Sartori.  Democrazia : cosa è , 1993 .

[12]  G. Pomper.  Concepts of Political Parties , 1992 .

[13]  D. Hill,et al.  The Political Consequences of Electoral Laws , 1969 .

[14]  L. Bardi,et al.  Italy: Tracing the Roots of the Great Transformation , 1994 .

[15]  J. Linz,et al.  The failure of presidential democracy , 1997 .

[16]  G. Sartori.  Comparative constitutional engineering , 1994 .

[17]  Kaare W. Strøm,et al.  A Behavioral Theory of Competitive Political Parties , 1990 .

[18]  L. Morlino.  Costruire la democrazia. Gruppi e partiti in Italia , 1991 .

[19]  T. Lancaster.  Executive-Legislative Relations in Southern Europe , 1996 .