Italian Politics

James L. Newell is former Professor of Politics at the University of Salford, UK, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Urbino, Italy. He is the founding co-editor of the journal, Contemporary Italian Politics and co-founder of the UK Political Studies Association’s Italian Politics Specialist Group.

'James L. Newell has been observing Italian politics both from outside and inside the country for many years. This twofold standpoint has led the author to develop an original reading of the First and, more extensively, Second Republic, which is a well-known 'political laboratory' also significant for other contemporary democracies. The book covers the main national political ages, various institutions and actors, and specific phenomena and events that give the reader a better understanding of the complexity of current Italian politics.'Luigi Ceccarini, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Italy; President of the Italian Society of Electoral Studies (SISE)‘In this short, erudite work James L. Newell, as one of our foremost Italian specialists, brings his highly perceptive analysis and insights to create a vivid explanation of Italian politics today through the historic lens of the watershed period of the early 1990s, leaving us with an intriguing sense of what might still be to come.’Martin J. Bull, Professor of Politics, University of Salford, UK

• Introduction 1. A tale of two republics 2. Government and the state 3. The Italian party system and the electorate 4. Organised interests and social movements 5. Political corruption, organized crime and the administration of justice 6. Italy and the wider world 7. Conclusion: The Italy of Berlusconi and his successors