Luigi Ceccarini is a researcher for the Laboratory of Political and Social Studies, LaPolis, at the University of Urbino "Carlo Bo", Italy, where he teaches society and politics. He is co-editor of Comunicazione Politica and the author of La cittadinanza online (2015) and Tra politica e società (with I. Diamanti, 2018).James L. Newell is a former professor of politics at the University of Salford, UK, and currently a visiting professor at the University of Turin, Italy. He is co-editor of Contemporary Italian Politics and the author of Corruption in Contemporary Politics(2018) and Silvio Berlusconi: A Study in Failure (2018).

• 1 Introduction. 4 March 2018: The paradoxical election (Ceccarini and Newell).- Part I The Context.- 2 The Political Context 2013-2018 (Newell).- 3 The Economic Context 2013 (Capriati).- 4 An ever tighter constraint: The implications of the Eurozone and migration crises for Italian politics (Amadia Viceré).- Part II The Run-up to the Election.- 5 The three perspectives of the left and the gradual loss of its electorate (Natale).- 6 The parties of the centre right (Newell).- 7 Five stars, five years, five (broken) taboos (Bordignon and Ceccarini).- Part III The Campaign.- 8 Issues and themes in the 2018 Italian general elections (Valbruzzi).- 9 Journalistic narratives and political communication strategies against the background of a critical mood: The 2018 election campaign in the traditional media and beyond (Roncarolo and Cremonesi).- 10 Digital campaigning: The communications strategies of the leaders on Facebook Cepernich.- Part IV The Outcome.- 11 Volatile voters and a volatile party system: The results of the 2018 Italian general election (Chiaramonte and Paparo).- 12 Members of the Chamber of Deputies following the 2018 general election (Marino, Martocchia Diodati and Verichelli).- 13 The formation of the government (Pasquino).- 14 Conclusion. Italy in Uncharted Territory: Towards a new era of uncertainty (Ceccarini and Newell).