G Pasquino
Biographic Data
| ID | 32757 |
|---|---|
| NAME | G Pasquino |
| GIVEN NAMES | G |
| FAMILY NAME | Pasquino |
| SIGNATURE | PASQUINO G |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bologna |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7458-158X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 144 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 416 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 144 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1970 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
The Still Ongoing American Revolution
The Growing Powers of the American President
No limits to what I can say
More doom and gloom
It helps to be white, male, rich, etc
The US Supreme Court: Problems and troubles ahead
The trouble the USA (and most of us) are in
To speak or not to speak
El politólogo como político. La ciencia política como compromiso, vocación y acción
El título de mi artículo es algo engañoso, pues nunca fui ni quise ser "político". Por casualidad y, quizá por alguna virtud, considero un gran honor y una alta distinción haber sido el primer profesor italiano de Ciencias Políticas electo como senador al Parlamento durante tres legislaturas 1983-1987; 1987-1992; 1994-1996. Espero que mis reflexiones sobre por qué, cuándo y cómo arrojen algo de luz sobre la política italiana y sobre la ciencia po…
The Italian left at a critical juncture: Disanchoring the past, embracing the present
On September 25, 2022, the Italian left faced a significant electoral setback as the centre-right coalition, led by Giorgia Meloni, secured a remarkable electoral win. Historically, the left had been represented by major parties like the Italian Communist Party (P.C.I.) and the Italian Socialist Party (P.S.I.). Their demise in the 1990s, for various reasons, gave rise to new left-leaning ‘umbrella’ entities such as the Ulivo and the Democratic Pa…
On the disappearance of leftist political idea(l)s
In this article, I have chosen a specific perspective from which to identify and analyse what has gone wrong for the Italian Left in the past thirty years. I will take as my starting point the demolition of the Berlin Wall (1989) and continue with the foundation of the Partito Democratico (Democratic Party [PD] 2007), its vicissitudes, its current state of health and its status. I will do so by attempting as far as possible to consider what has b…
American wars and Greek tragedies
Democracy: Not dead yet
The problem with constitutions
headline 'Enemies of the People'.Such language, encouraged by hardline Brexiteers, was polarising.After manoeuvrings between the Commons and Lords, the proposal and rejection of a 'profound constitutional shift' to give Parliament more sway over the country's foreign policy, the government accepted a 'meaningful vote' on the outcome of negotiations.Ironically, the restrictions helped hardline Eurosceptics, by compressing the timetable and augment…
A confusing study of revolutions
The Culture of Accountability: A Democratic Virtue
This important book explores the cultural conditions that favor political accountability. It examines the channels through which accountability can be secured and the role that accountability plays in ensuring good governance. In addition to problematizing the notion of accountability, the book suggests that it is the product of three different—albeit, related—processes: taking account of voters’ preferences, keeping account of voters’ preference…
The 2022 general Italian elections. The long-awaited victory of the right
The 2022 Italian parliamentary elections had an announced winner: the centre-right coalition led by Giorgia Meloni's party (Fratelli d'Italia [F.d.I.]). Despite the low level of competitiveness, caused mainly by divisions in the centre-left camp, and the high predictability of the election outcome, the elections have had profound consequences for the Italian party system and also for decision-making within the European Union. In addition to provi…
Could we bring back Clem Attlee
China: Strong leader, weak supporters
The crisis of writing about the crisis of democracy
Forward to socialism
Strongmen past and present: Beware of them
Living (and dying) in America
The European Union, its legitimacy, its performance
Trotsky versus carbofascism
A long quest in vain: Institutional reforms in Italy
Of all the issues that have been regarded as necessary to stabilising Italian politics following the dramatic upheaval of the 1990s, none has been more important than constitutional and institutional reforms. Yet, there has been an unqualified failure of the political class over a thirty year period to achieve constitutional reform (whilst not overlooking electoral reform which is outside of the Constitution). This is not to suggest that Italian …
Non-partisan governments Italian-style: Decision-making and accountability
Three non-partisan governments in less than 20 years, Italy reveals once more her deviance from European parliamentary democracies. This article explores the reasons why and how non partisan governments have been formed. It evaluates their contributions in terms of problem-solving and decision-making capabilities. It identifies their major democratic inconvenient in their almost total lack of accountability. Non-partisan governments are the conse…
Changes in Italian electoral behaviour: The relationships between parties and voters
Tricks and Treats: The 2005 Italian Electoral Law and Its Consequences
In autumn 2005, a few months before the April 2006 elections, the ruling coalition Casa delle Libertà (House of Freedoms) decided to reform the Italian electoral law. This article analyses the fundamentally partisan reasons leading to the reform and the outcome. The new electoral law is a form of proportional representation with closed lists which allocates a sizable seat bonus to the coalition obtaining the highest number of votes. The article c…
Social Networks, Political Discussion, and Voting in Italy: A Study of the 2006 Election
This article analyzes the role of interpersonal discussion networks and television as the key mediators of political information that can potentially drive citizens’ electoral choices. The research relies on survey data of Italian voters in the aftermath of the 2006 general election. Findings show that the partisan intensity of discussion networks significantly affects the vote, so that citizens embedded in homogeneous partisan networks are more …
Italian Presidents and their Accordion: Pre-1992 and Post-1994
Apparently ill-defined in the Constitution, the role and powers of the President of the Italian Republic have too often been considered just ceremonial. Using the metaphor of the accordion, this article offers a comparison between the pre-1992 and the post-1993 periods. In the first one, when Italian parties were entrenched and strong they could prevent the Presidents from autonomously playing all their powers, and did so quite successfully. In t…
Italy says no: The 2016 constitutional referendum and its consequences
On 4 December 2016, Italians went to the polls to say yes or no in a popular referendum called by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on his package of constitutional reforms. Turnout was very high: 65.5 per cent. The No vote scored an impressive victory: 59.1 per cent rejected those reforms; 40.9 per cent supported them. This article puts those reforms in the context of previous attempts to modify several articles of the Italian constitution. The author…
Leadership in Italy: The Changing Role of Leaders in Elections and in Government
L'articolo analizza come si è evoluta la figura dei leader durante le elezioni e al governo nella Seconda Repubblica. Si prendono in considerazione diversi aspetti: il leader come comunicatore, come mediatore, come leader di partito e di coalizione
Institutionalization of Parliament and Parliamentarization of Parties in Italy
In light of the recent changes in the relationship between the Christian Democratic and Communist Parties, this paper attempts to assess two important developments in the Italian political system: (1) the institutionalization of Parliament as the primary center for decision making; and (2) the parliamentarization of the two major parties. Evidence for the former is drawn from a review of the 1971 changes in parliamentary rules and for the latter …
Le Radici Del Frazionismo E Il Voto Di Preferenza
IntroduzioneIl dibattito sul rapporto fra proporzionalismo come sistema elettorale all'interno dei partiti e proliferazione di correnti (o fazioni) all'interno degli stessi partiti ha toccato finora, come era inevitabile e giusto, una gamma di argomenti molto piú vasta della semplice influenza di un tipo di sistema elettorale sulla formazione della leadership nei partiti. Ma le prime differenze sono subito chiare. Infatti, mentre Sartori imputa s…
I taly: The Triumph of Personalist Parties
The fall of the B erlin W all, a major anticorruption investigation in 1992, and the electoral referendum of A pril 1993 provoked the collapse of the I talian party system and led to the disappearance of the parties that had governed I taly since D ecember 1946. Acting as a political entrepreneur, the media magnate S ilvio B erlusconi founded, shaped, and led his own personalist party. Providing social, economic, and political representation to a…
No longer a 'Party State'? Institutions, power and the problems of Italian reform
Italy's transition has been characterised by governments based on some or several non‐political components. Ciampi's and even more Dini's government stressed their technical and non‐parliamentary quality. Berlusconi's short‐lived governmental experience was deliberately intended to challenge not only the Italian 'partitocrazia', but also any version of party government. The Italian transition cannot reach a successful completion until and unless …
A Tale of Two Parties: Forza Italia and the Left Democrats
Forza Italia won the 2001 elections, forcing the DS (Left Democrats) into opposition. Forza Italia is not just a 'teflon', media-produced, party; the Left Democrats are no longer a mass party. This article analyses the two Italian parties with reference to five elements: leadership; organization; electoral performance; coalition-building capabilities; overall strategy and platform. Enjoying stable leadership and an organization based on its netwo…
Italian Christian democracy: A party for all seasons
Italian Politics in an Era of Recession: The End of Bipolarism
Italian politics have undergone momentous change in the 2007–2017 decade under the impact of the eurozone crisis, whose peak in 2011–2013 could be equated to the earlier watershed years of 1992–1994. The lasting impact of the upheaval in Italian politics in the early 1990s could still be felt in the decade of economic recession, but there were also new challenges prompted by a crisis that had its roots in international financial contagion and whi…
The Politics of Coalition. How the Conservative–Liberal Democrat Government Works
A new political system
This article aims at defining the concept of ‘semi‐presidential government’ and detailing the diversity of its practices. There are in fact three types of semi‐presidential regimes: the president can be a mere figurehead, or he may be all‐powerful or again he can share his power with parliament. Using four parameters ‐ the content of the constitution, tradition and circumstances, the composition of the parliamentary majority and the position of t…
Sources of stability and instability in the Italian party system
In the course of the 1970s the major Italian parties underwent a number of important changes. The DC and the PCI experienced a renewal of their leadership positions and undertook a revision of their strategies. The PCI shifted from the ‘historic compromise’ to the formula of a ‘democratic alternative’, aimed at excluding the Christian Democrats. Furthermore, the Italian electorate is more inclined to reward the performance of the parties rather t…
The 2022 general Italian elections. The long-awaited victory of the right
The 2022 Italian parliamentary elections had an announced winner: the centre-right coalition led by Giorgia Meloni's party (Fratelli d'Italia [F.d.I.]). Despite the low level of competitiveness, caused mainly by divisions in the centre-left camp, and the high predictability of the election outcome, the elections have had profound consequences for the Italian party system and also for decision-making within the European Union. In addition to provi…
The 2019 European Elections: A ‘second-order’ vote with ‘first-order’ effects
In this article we provide a general interpretation of the results of the 2019 elections of the European Parliament in Italy. The Italian case contains several elements that are, at the same time, ambivalent and interesting, especially if observed in a larger, European-wide comparative perspective. Besides a general interpretation of the vote for the European Parliament, the article discuss also the consequences of the elections results for the t…
Crisi Della Dc E Evoluzione Del Sistema Politico
IntroduzioneNel momento in cui la crisi della Democrazia Cristiana è diventata in maniera lampante il problema principale dell'evoluzione del sistema politico italiano, e da piú parti si levano inviti e si avanzano suggerimenti per una «rifondazione» del partito, è stato giocoforza accorgersi che, al di là di pamphlets giornalistici e analisi di parte, il materiale disponibile su questo partito, sulla sua natura e struttura interna, sui suoi lega…
The Disappearance of Political Cultures in Italy
Following the collapse of the Italian party system in 1994, post-war Italian political cultures have all but exhausted themselves, if not disappeared completely. First, the Ulivo (Olive Tree) in 1996–1998, then, the Partito Democratico in 2007–2008, attempted without much conviction to formulate a new political culture combining several traditions and heritages. This article will explore how and why the PD failed in its attempts. It will also loo…
The 2013 elections and the Italian political system
The February 2013 Italian general elections were characterized by the highest volatility to date. Although, thanks to the majority bonus, the Partito Democratico (Democratic Party) obtained the absolute majority of seats in the House of Deputies, it could not be considered the winner of the elections. Lacking a majority in the Senate, it was obliged to form a government with Silvio Berlusconi's party and with the rather small number of parliament…
The 2008 Italian National Elections: Berlusconi's Third Victory
In 2008 Silvio Berlusconi contested his fifth national election, winning for the third time. Walter Veltroni's newly created Democratic Party ran alone, rejecting any coalition with parties to its left and did less well than expected. The Rainbow Left failed to cross the threshold for parliamentary representation, while the Northern League made striking gains. With only five parties in the 2008 Parliament, Italian voters seem to have found a way …
That obscure object of desire: A new electoral law for Italy
This article analyses the most important reasons that might make it necessary to revise the Italian electoral system. The type of proportional representation utilised in the Italian system (imperiali with the highest remainder) has allowed the fragmentation of the party system and produced a privileged situation for some parties, preventing alternation in power. The major reform proposals are reviewed and evaluated according to their partisan obj…
The Politics of Modernization: An Appraisal of David Apter's Contributions
Le Crisi Di Sviluppo Nell'esperienza Giapponese
IntroduzioneQuesta nota nasce dalla curiosità di esaminare nei particolari l'esperienza della modernizzazione in Giappone, e soprattutto di mettere in luce il modo in cui si sono presentate e sono state affrontate le crisi di sviluppo. Il Giappone costituisce un caso molto interessante e, presumibilmente, istruttivo. Esso è, a tutt'oggi, il solo paese non appartenente all'area occidentale e non facente parte della diaspora anglosassone (ad esclus…
Le Radici Del Frazionismo E Il Voto Di Preferenza
IntroduzioneIl dibattito sul rapporto fra proporzionalismo come sistema elettorale all'interno dei partiti e proliferazione di correnti (o fazioni) all'interno degli stessi partiti ha toccato finora, come era inevitabile e giusto, una gamma di argomenti molto piú vasta della semplice influenza di un tipo di sistema elettorale sulla formazione della leadership nei partiti. Ma le prime differenze sono subito chiare. Infatti, mentre Sartori imputa s…
Elective Assemblies
This review article will attempt to systematize the most important literature on legislative assemblies, to identify their weaknesses and to point out promising research lines. The material is classified under four sections: candidate recruitment and assembly composition, motivations of the political career, role of the representatives, and models and functions of legislative assemblies. The main conclusions are: that future research on recruitme…
Mutamenti Socio-Economici, Elites E Decadenza Politica: Il Caso Argentino
IntroduzioneLa vasta e diseguale letteratura sulla modernizzazione e sullo sviluppo politico è ricca di ipotesi che, seppur formulate talora in maniera inadeguata, meritano di essere prese in considerazione e verificate. Rare, infatti, sono state a tutt'oggi le verifiche intenzionali e deliberate di alcune delle ipotesi piú influenti, e spesso questi tentativi non sono stati effettuati, come dovrebbero, in chiave diacronica. E non è difficile com…
L'Opposizione Difficile
Introduzione≪ Dei 113 membri delle Nazioni Unite, nel 1964, soltanto una trentina circa avevano sistemi politici nei quali era esistita nel decennio precedente una opposizione pienamente legale fra i partiti politici organizzati ≫. Cosí si apriva il volume Political Oppositions in Western Democracies curato da Robert Dahl nel 1966, e certamente la situazione da allora non è cambiata di molto. Anche se vi sono nuovi Stati membri dell'ONU è molto i…
Interpretazioni Del Sistema Politico Italiano
IntroduzioneLa produzione scientifica sul sistema politico italiano, nel suo complesso e su alcuni aspetti specifici, ha registrato di recente notevoli passi avanti sia in senso quantitativo sia in senso qualitativo. Predominano, naturalmente, gli studi e le ricerche empiriche svolte dagli stranieri, anche per una piú o meno naturale riluttanza degli studiosi italiani ad impegnarsi in un lavoro di descrizione-spiegazione globale del funzionamento…
Crisi Della Dc E Evoluzione Del Sistema Politico
IntroduzioneNel momento in cui la crisi della Democrazia Cristiana è diventata in maniera lampante il problema principale dell'evoluzione del sistema politico italiano, e da piú parti si levano inviti e si avanzano suggerimenti per una «rifondazione» del partito, è stato giocoforza accorgersi che, al di là di pamphlets giornalistici e analisi di parte, il materiale disponibile su questo partito, sulla sua natura e struttura interna, sui suoi lega…
Militari e potere in America Latina
Capital and Labour in Italy
GOVERNMENTAL DECISIONS AND NON DECISIONS AFFECT THE LIVES AND interests of their citizens. More so with the expansion of governments’ role in modern industrialized societies. In every society, therefore, the citizens have found it necessary to organize groups according to different membership criteria in order to defend and/or advance existing interests or simply to articulate emerging interests in the face of governmental resistance and/or socie…
The Italian Army: Some Notes on Recruitment
Militari E Politica: Una Rassegna Di Studi
IntroduzioneLa letteratura sul ruolo dei militari in politica è cresciuta negli ultimi anni in maniera considerevole, seguendo di pari passo la crescente importanza del fenomeno militare sotto i più diversi aspetti. Basti pensare che «il 12% degli Stati indipendenti nel 1961 era guidato da governi i cui leaders avevano preso il potere con colpi di Stato. Nel 1966 la percentuale era salita a 19, nel 1972 a 27». Alla crescita quantitativa delle ana…
Before and after the Italian National Elections of 1976
THE ITALIAN ELECTIONS OF 20 JUNE 1976 HAVE BEEN COMPARED TO those of 18 April 1948. Nearly thirty years ago, the Italian electorate, under heavy international pressures, gave 48.5 per cent of the votes and an absolute majority of seats to the DC (Christian Democrats) desisively defeating the Socialist-Communist Popular Front which polled only 31.0 per cent of the votes as compared to their combined percentage of 39.7 per cent only two years earli…
Institutionalization of Parliament and Parliamentarization of Parties in Italy
In light of the recent changes in the relationship between the Christian Democratic and Communist Parties, this paper attempts to assess two important developments in the Italian political system: (1) the institutionalization of Parliament as the primary center for decision making; and (2) the parliamentarization of the two major parties. Evidence for the former is drawn from a review of the 1971 changes in parliamentary rules and for the latter …
Italian Christian democracy: A party for all seasons
Changes in Italian electoral behaviour: The relationships between parties and voters
Sources of stability and instability in the Italian party system
In the course of the 1970s the major Italian parties underwent a number of important changes. The DC and the PCI experienced a renewal of their leadership positions and undertook a revision of their strategies. The PCI shifted from the ‘historic compromise’ to the formula of a ‘democratic alternative’, aimed at excluding the Christian Democrats. Furthermore, the Italian electorate is more inclined to reward the performance of the parties rather t…
La complejidad de la crisis política. Dos comentarios
Degenerazioni dei partiti e riforme instituzionali
Modernity and reforms: The PSI between political entrepreneurs and gamblers
The efforts by the Italian Socialist Party [PSI] to renew its organisation and to break the hold of the two major parties in Italian politics are analysed and assessed in the light of its declared goals. The PSI has succeeded in conquering the much coveted office of Prime Minister, but has not been able to increase its vote to any significant extent. It is suggested that the reasons for this mixed performance are to be found in two shortcomings. …
That obscure object of desire: A new electoral law for Italy
This article analyses the most important reasons that might make it necessary to revise the Italian electoral system. The type of proportional representation utilised in the Italian system (imperiali with the highest remainder) has allowed the fragmentation of the party system and produced a privileged situation for some parties, preventing alternation in power. The major reform proposals are reviewed and evaluated according to their partisan obj…
Political leadership in Southern Europe: Research problems
The role played by political leaders in the transition and consolidation of Southern European democracies has not been adequately explored. This article argues that the contributions of political leaders to both processes have been particularly important. They ought, therefore, to be specifically analysed and not submerged into structural and configurative studies. More precisely, it is suggested that the leaders’ contributions can be more accura…
Programmatic renewal, and much more: From the PCI to the PDS
The Italian Communist Party has undergone a major, complex, and painful transformation. It has changed its name to the Democratic Party of the Left, along with its emblem, and its organisation. Having abandoned democratic centralism, the PDS has quickly become a party of factions. It has also attempted to create a shadow government, with mixed results. The PDS is today a party of women and men, though with reduced electoral attractiveness. As to …
Updates on Japan & Italy: "The Birth of the "Second Republic
Updates on Japan & ItalyThe Birth of the "Second Republic" Gianfranco Pasquino (bio) The results of the parliamentary elections that Italy held on 27-28 March 1994 were surprising, if not totally unexpected. To judge from the opinion polls, the victory scored by the Alliance for Freedom—a coalition comprising three conservative groups (the neofascist National Alliance [AN], Forza Italia, and the Northern League [Lega Nord]) plus a few small parti…
The Axis Powers 50 Years Later: Italy-The Twilight of the Parties
The Axis Powers 50 Years LaterItaly-The Twilight of the Parties Gianfranco Pasquino (bio) Until recently, Italian democracy, established in the wake of Fascism and defeat in the Second World War, seemed to have performed quite well. Once a rather poor, mainly agricultural, and highly parochial country, Italy became the world's fifth or sixth largest industrial power. In spite of several challenges, among them terrorism in both rightist and leftis…
Political science (131 works) · Law (105 works) · Law (100 works) · Politics (98 works) · Sociology (77 works) · Political economy (59 works) · Italian Fascism and Post-war Society (44 works) · Democracy (42 works) · Populism, Right-Wing Movements (32 works) · Public Administration (32 works)