In 2012, the spotlight was on Prime Minister Monti and his government of non-elected ministers. Early in the year, the new government’s economic policy was effective in stopping the international downgrading of the country’s credit rating. However, in terms of the entire year, the success of the Monti government appears less definitive. There were no clear achievements in terms of growth, and the structural features of the economy remained weak. Monti successfully initiated some reforms and policy changes, but there were failures as well. Furthermore, the “odd majority” (made up of the PdL, PD, and UdC) that supported Monti in Parliament performed more weakly than the government. The parties were to change the electoral law, reform the parliamentary institutions, cut costs, and reduce the privileges of the political class, but failed. Their inaction was accompanied by a series of scandals and crimes, all of which facilitated the emergence of new political forces, such as the Five Star Movement. When Monti eventually resigned in December 2012, President Napolitano called for new elections, and the parties redefined their proposals and lists. At the end of the year, the political and economic conditions of the country remained fragile.

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List of Abbreviations
Chronology of Italian Political Events, 2012
Edited by Rinaldo Vignati

Introduction: The Year of the External Podestà
Aldo Di Virgilio and Claudio M. Radaelli

chapter 1. The Costs of Politics and Reform: The Year of “Little Trims”
Sergio Rizzo and Gian Antonio Stella

Chapter 2. The Challenge of the Five Star Movement
Rinaldo Vignati

Chapter 3. When the Magic Wears Off: Bossi Loses His Grip and the League Its Appeal
Anna Cento Bull

Chapter 4. Prime Minister Primaries: Candidate Selection between Innovation and Manipulation
Gianfranco Pasquino and Marco Valbruzzi

Chapter 5. Mario Monti’s Technocratic Government
Daniela Giannetti

Chapter 6. The Work of Parliament in the Year of the Technocratic Government
Andrea Pedrazzani and Luca Pinto

Chapter 7. Back in Europe? Italy, the Troika, and the Chancelleries
Francesco Stolfi

Chapter 8. The Spending Review: Use and Abuse of a Term
Chiara Goretti and Luca Rizzuto

Chapter 9. Social Policy Reform in the Italian Debt Crisis: Pensions, Labor, Unemployment Benefits
Stefano Sacchi

Chapter 10. Interest Groups and the “Amended” Liberalizations of the Monti Government
Liborio Mattina

Chapter 11. Between Retaliatory Punishment and Reform: Some Thoughts on Vatileaks and Italian Politics
Alberto Melloni

Chapter 12. A Year of Social Movements in Italy: From the “No TAVs” to the Five Star Movement
Lorenzo Mosc

Documentary Appendix
Compiled by Valentina Sartori

Abstracts

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Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781782384298
Publisert
2013-12-01
Utgiver
Vendor
Berghahn Books
Vekt
399 gr
Høyde
216 mm
Bredde
140 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
340

Biographical note

Aldo di Virgilio is at the Department of Political and Social Sciences, University of Bologna