La Lega di Salvini. Estrema destra di governo

Da tempo la Lega ha scelto di posizionarsi nell’area dell’estrema destra: una virata che ha consentito al partito di legittimarsi come forza trainante della coalizione conservatrice, tanto da stravolgerne l’assetto indebolendo l’area moderata. Nello scenario emerso con il voto del 2018 la Lega compete con l’altra formazione anti-establishment, il Movimento 5 Stelle, nel tentativo di monopolizzare il disagio economico e il disorientamento elettorale e di ricomporre, sul piano socio-territoriale, le istanze di cambiamento avanzate dagli elettori. Uno scenario inedito in cui due frères-ennemis si disputano l’egemonia politica e culturale in Italia.The Northern League has become a party of the extreme right, moving form previous positions based on territorial issues. After the 2018 general elections the main competitor of the Lega of Salvini is the M5s with wich the LN share the monopoly on the protest voting

The League of Salvini : from a Europe of Regions to a Europe of Nations

The electoral success of the League of Salvini (Northern League) is one of the most important novelties in the Italian political context. The party enjoyed a long spell in power as part of the previous centre-right government led by Silvio Berlusconi. Since 2018, it has been the dominant partner in its coalition and enjoys the greatest support of any single party amongst the electorate. This was a product of an alliance with the Five Star Movement, but following its implosion and a failed attempt to force new elections, the League has returned to the status of an opposition party. The chapter aims to compare the old and the new League and investigate the reasons behind the shift from ethno-regionalism to right-wing nationalism/sovereignism, and how and why the party survived the multiple crises (electoral, political, moral crisis) that it has experienced in its recent history. It will investigate the effects these changes have had on the composition of its electorate, the characteristics of its political projects and alliances at national and international level. Particular attention is devoted to the analysis of the rhetoric used against EU integration, the European Commission and in favour of a different ‘Europe of nations’

From the Lega Nord to Salvini's League. Changing everything to change nothing?

The article aims to retrace the transformations of the Lega Nord under the leadership of Matteo Salvini by focusing on the analysis of key dimensions such as: the ideology and issue positions, the territorial distribution of vote, and the party internal organization. The actual Lega of Salvini is undoubtedly different from the party of the origin. Regionalist claims and a fluid ideological trait have turned into far-right, nationalistic and anti-E.U. perspective, which allowed to drain votes from new and different socio-geographic contexts, even without a durable electoral rootedness. The article also highlights how the recent season of success for the Lega introduced elements of uncertainty in the strategies, alliances, and the party identity itself during a critical period of the Italian politics and under the effect of the pandemic crisis

I non rappresentati. La galassia dell’astensione prima e dopo il voto del 2018

In Italy, as in other Western countries, electoral abstention has registered a sharp increase during the last four decades, more specifically after the transition to the Second Republic. Many scholars have deeply investigated the socio-political and territorial configuration of non-voting, as well as the most significant changes occurred over time. While in the first period, until the late 90s, the abstainers were mainly peripheral voters (with less resources, apathetic and disconnected from the political system), in the recent years the act of non-voting has lived more as an expression of political disaffection, an active behaviour that voters (also the most involved in politics) have used strategically to punish the incumbent. The last two sections of our article deeply investigate the political framework arising from the economic crisis of the 2008, after the end of the last Berlusconi’s government in 2011 and the period of transition under Mario Monti’s technical government. The 2013 Parliamentary elections and, more extensively, the disruptive vote of 2018, have showed the juxtaposition of two different dynamics: on the one side, a political demobilization through the safer non-voting option on the other side a growing support for anti-establishment parties (above all, the Five Star Movement), perceived as valid alternative choice instead of a vote for «old» parties or abstention

Il disallineamento tra orientamenti elettorali e posizioni sui temi : una questione giovanile o di famiglia politica?

The transformation of politics in contemporary democracies has led to the emergence of a new ideological conflict, alongside the traditional left-right scheme, described as liberal–authoritarian or cosmopolitan–nationalist cleavage (Kriesi et al. 2008; Hooghe and Marks 2002). This change brought to a redefinition of the linkages between issue and voting preferences, as many voters decide to support a party regardless of their positions on issues while voting for the same party. Within such framework, the contribute of the new generations to the growth of the electoral dealignment and volatility has been largely analysed (Miller et al. 1996; Franklin 2004; Plutzer 2002). Issue incongruency is part of the process. Young people are often considered to be tolerant and inclusive because they grew up under prosperous and secure conditions and developed post-materialist values of freedom, multiculturalism, progressivism (Inglehart and Welzel 2005; Janmaat and Keating 2019). However, the perspective of left-cosmopolitans engaged in electoral politics contrasts with the image of economically- insecure left-behind group of young people who don’t share the same progressive values (Bartle et al. 2020; Sloam and Henn 2019) and support right-wing political parties. What is still unknown is the extent to which extreme ideological traits and attitudes (e.g. negative discourses on immigration) combine with positions of openness on individual freedom. Likewise, the same contradiction can be found among left-wing voters who assume liberal position on economy or those economically left and culturally conservative. The article aims at analysing the relationship between issue positions and vote (propensity to vote). We test the hypotheses of a coherent vs incoherent ideological space by looking at the structure of voters’ preferences on economic (State vs. free market) as well as cultural issues (individual rights, attitudes towards minorities, European integration) and the differences between young people and older component of the electorate. The analysis is focused on the Italian case. Data are taken from the 2020 Itanes survey

La Lega al Sud. Il difficile cammino di un insediamento annunciato

The article illustrates the penetration strategies of Salvini’s League in Southern Italy, particularly after the 2018 general elections. The League’s strategies are closely observed in three territorial contexts: Calabria, Campania and Sicily. For each of these three regions, the article presents the choices made by the League and the ways of building a new local political class loyal to the party. The analysis shows that in all three regions there is a very important role of the party in central office in the selection of candidates and the definition of party positions, while a less important role is played by the local political class. This has led to strong conflicts and dissatisfaction among the new “leghisti” in these three regions. In fact, they do not find the political space they would like and that the party in central office doesn’t want to grant. Therefore, the path taken by the League in the South seems full of obstacles. Consequently, the new direction given to the Lega by Salvini, who wants to make the Northern League a true national party, is very uncertain

Generational gap and post-ideological politics in Italy (POSTGEN): A generation-aware analysis of ideological destructuring and political change in the Italian case

Recent political upheavals, such as Brexit, Trump's election, the rise of challenger parties in Europe, and Italy’s first "populist" government in 2018, challenge traditional theories of voting behaviour and party competition. Conventional explanations often point to populism and voter irrationality. However, recent research highlights that challenger parties leverage issue opportunities that transcend traditional ideological boundaries, suggesting a de-ideologized context where voters are drawn to post-ideological platforms. Despite these insights, a possible de-ideologization process remains insufficiently understood. The POSTGEN project seeks to fill this gap by analysing de-ideologization mechanisms and dynamics, particularly in Italy—a key case of contemporary political transformation. It adopts a generation-focused approach, emphasizing the role of younger generations in the evolving political landscape. The project examines how political attitudes develop and impact individuals, generations, and society over time. It investigates whether political issues integrate into coherent ideological structures or remain fragmented, and how non-political influencers affect these dynamics amid the crisis of traditional epistemic authorities. The project employs a mixed-method, multi-method, longitudinal strategy that features multiple components: from mass surveys, to social media content (also analysed through automated methods), to dedicated surveys aimed at secondary-school students, to qualitative in-depth interviews to young adults. By integrating these methods within a robust theoretical framework, POSTGEN aims to provide insights into the evolution of the Italian political systems, also to help understand broader changes in democratic representation in Western political systems

Generational gap and post-ideological politics in Italy (POSTGEN) : a generation-aware analysis of ideological destructuring and political change in the Italian case

Publication date: 11 July 2024Recent political upheavals, such as Brexit, Trump's election, the rise of challenger parties in Europe, and Italy’s first "populist" government in 2018, challenge traditional theories of voting behaviour and party competition. Conventional explanations often point to populism and voter irrationality. However, recent research highlights that challenger parties leverage issue opportunities that transcend traditional ideological boundaries, suggesting a de-ideologized context where voters are drawn to post-ideological platforms. Despite these insights, a possible de-ideologization process remains insufficiently understood. The POSTGEN project seeks to fill this gap by analysing de-ideologization mechanisms and dynamics, particularly in Italy—a key case of contemporary political transformation. It adopts a generation-focused approach, emphasizing the role of younger generations in the evolving political landscape. The project examines how political attitudes develop and impact individuals, generations, and society over time. It investigates whether political issues integrate into coherent ideological structures or remain fragmented, and how non-political influencers affect these dynamics amid the crisis of traditional epistemic authorities. The project employs a mixed-method, multi-method, longitudinal strategy that features multiple components: from mass surveys, to social media content (also analysed through automated methods), to dedicated surveys aimed at secondary-school students, to qualitative in-depth interviews to young adults. By integrating these methods within a robust theoretical framework, POSTGEN aims to provide insights into the evolution of the Italian political systems, also to help understand broader changes in democratic representation in Western political systems

The Five Star Movement: purely a matter of protest? The rise of a new party between political discontent and reasoned voting

L'articolo analizza le ragioni il successo elettorale del Movimento 5 stelle in Italia focalizzando l'attenzione sulla relazione tra voto e protesta. Nello specifico, all'interno del lavoro si scompone la dimensione della protesta nelle due componenti di system discontent ed elite discontent allo scopo di verificare quale è l'oggetto principale della critica da parte dell'elettorato (il sistema istituzionale o le performance dei partiti di governo). Nella seconda parte l'articolo analizza i temi della campagna elettorale mostrando in quali circostanze valutazioni specifiche su questioni ritenute salienti dall'elettorato si intrecciano con la critica genera alla politica favorendo il voto per il M5s.The success of the Italian party Five Star Movement (M5S) has been broadly attributed to its ability to occupy the space of radical protest against “old politics”. Due to the party’s criticism, its charismatic leadership, and its aggressive electoral campaigns, the M5S has been labeled as a populist. The unexpected result of 2013 election raises crucial theoretical questions: To what extent does the M5S electorate reflect the characteristics of a protest vote? To what extent was it also a vote driven by values, by individual evaluations on a specific political issue? The first part of the article aims to investigate the extent of negative political feelings among M5S’ voters. To disentangle the meaning and impact of protest, we distinguish two dimensions: the “system discontent” and the “élite discontent,” referring to both general and focalized images, sentiments toward and the representation of political institutions, voter power, and government performances. In the second part, we bring to the analysis a further explanation based on the theory of issue voting. The goal is to measure whether voters have chosen M5S purely because of their political resentment or also given that they shared a similar position on a number of crucial policies emphasized in the electoral campaign