Reforming the Italian constitution

Journal of Modern Italian Studies

Volumn 3, Issue 1, 1998, Pages 42-54

  Pasquino, Gianfranco ^a  

^a JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Constitutional reform; Electoral systems; Italian politics; Italy

Indexed keywords

EID: 0345915270     PISSN: 1354571X     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/13545719808454965     Document Type: Review

References (17)

1. Justifying the scepticism shown by Joseph LaPalombara, Democracy Italian Style (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1987), pp. 229-57, though not his underestimation and even mockery of the importance of the issue.
2. A devastating criticism of the proposals formulated by the De Mita-Iotti Committee can be found in E. Rotelli, Federalismo e presidenzialismo (Milan: Anabasi, 1994).
3. Readers will have to forgive me for citing several of my works starting with 'The debate on institutional reform', in R. Leonardi and R. Y. Nanetti (eds) Italian Politics. A Review (London: Pinter, 1986), vol. 1, pp. 117-33,
4. and Restituire lo scettro al principe (Rome-Bari: Laterza, 1985).
5. See also L. Morel, 'Le riforme istituzionali: dall'iniziativa dei partiti ai referendum', in M. Cotta and P. Isernia (eds) Il gigante dai piedi di argilla. La crisi del regime partitocratico in Italia (Bologna: Il Mulino, 1996), pp. 337-72.
6. See L. Ricolfi, L'ultimo Parlamento. Sulla fine della prima Repubblica (Rome: La Nuova Italia Scientifica, 1993).
7. The Communists had been staunch defenders of the constitution and of their political rents, that is of being a parliamentary opposition that had to be taken into serious consideration, within the old system up to Achille Occhetto's ascent to the secretariat in 1988. I have documented how and explained why in La lenta marcia nelle istituzioni: i passi del PCI (Bologna: Il Mulino, 1988).
8. G. Pasquino, 'The electoral reform referendums', in R. Leonardi and F. Anderlini (eds) Italian Politics. A Review (London: Pinter, 1992), vol. 6, pp. 9-24;
9. and C. Mershon and G. Pasquino (eds) Italian Politics. Ending The First Republic (Boulder, Colo.: Westview, 1995).
10. All these institutional vices have been frequently and convincingly denounced and documented, for instance by G. Di Palma, Surviving without Governing. The Italian Parties in Parliament (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1977).
11. See also M. Cotta, 'Il Parlamento nella Prima Repubblica', in G. Pasquino (ed.) La politica italiana. Dizionario critico 1945-1995 (Rome-Bari: Laterza, 1995), pp. 79-91.
12. On the amount of sheer fortune of the electoral victory of the Ulivo produced by several political and institutional factors, see the essays in R. D'Alimonte and S. Bartolini (eds) Maggioritario per caso. Le elezioni politiche del 1996 (Bologna: Il Mulino, 1997).
13. Several sectors of the Italian political class continued to feel threatened by the investigations of the judges. Rightly so. And the temptation to find some legal means to curtail the judicial power was widespread and by no means confined to Berlusconi and his entourage, though definitely not Fini. See D. Nelken, 'Stopping the judges', in M. Caciagli and D. I. Kertzer (eds) Italian Politics. The Stalled Transition (Boulder, Colo.: Westview, 1996), pp. 187-204.
14. I use the category as originally designed by A. Lijphart, Democracies. Patterns of Majoritarian and Consensus Government in Twenty-One Countries (London and New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1984).
15. See G. Di Palma, 'Parlamento-arena o parlamento di trasformazione?', Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica 17 (1987): 179-202.
16. My own answer would be: 'compatible but not conducive to good results in terms of the opportunities offered to the voters, the incentives given to the formation of homogeneous coalitions, the constraints on the behavior of the president and the prime minister'. For an elaboration of these points, see my 'Forma di governo semipresidenziale e sistemi elettorali', in L. Pegoraro and A. Rinella (eds) Semi-presidenzialismi (Padua: CEDAM, 1997), pp. 345-61.
17. His staff has put out, under his signature, an instant book to be presented, and sold, to the national Festa dell'Unità: La grande occasione (Milan: Mondadori, 1997).