Italy’s fragmented politics – a post-election prognosis for its future

Italy faces a political stalemate after its election on 4 March, as a three-way split in the vote will make coalition-building tough. Gains among fringe parties and outsiders mirrored other recent European elections. From the return of populist Berlusconi to the emergence of the eurosceptic, anti-globalist Five Star movement, Italian politics remain as unpredictable and fractured as ever – at a time when the European project requires renewal and support. With a new electoral law in place for allocating seats in parliament,  Italy’s direction after the vote will not only reshape domestic politics, but is likely to redefine its relationship with the EU. Will a growing sense of alienation from the EU affect the next parliament’s legislative agenda? What do the election results mean for the euro area in general?

Speaker

Giovanni Orsina is professor of Contemporary History and deputy director of the School of Government at Luiss-Guido Carli University, Rome. He is a leading writer for the Turin newspaper La Stampa and the weekly magazine L’Espresso. Among his publications: Berlusconism and Italy: A Historical Interpretation, Palgrave 2014 (Italian edition: Marsilio 2013); and L’alternativa liberale. Malagodi e l’opposizione al centro sinistra (Marsilio 2010). Together with Marco Gervasoni, he edited Political Delegitimation in Republican Italy, 1945-2011, a special issue of the Journal of Modern Italian Studies (1/2017).

Chair

Mark Hallerberg is Dean, Professor of Public Management and Political Economy at the Hertie School and is Director of the Master of Public Policy and Master of International Affairs programmes.