Italian politics after the 2022 general election: Government, parties and legislators in a reformed parliament

Abstract

The general elections held in September 2022 opened a new phase for Italian politics. Although the electoral outcome was far from being unexpected, the legislative term that started after the votes hows a number of peculiarities and some elements of true novelty. The configuration of the Italian party system and the government’s formation were shaped by the joint impact of several critical events and their repercussions on domestic politics: the pandemic and the related economic crisis, the ongoing migration crisis, the Ukraine-Russia war and its economic implications. Following the2022 elections, a center-right coalition came back to government after more than 10 years. For the first time, though, the executive was led by a radical right party and a woman, Giorgia Meloni, was appointed as Prime Minister. Furthermore, from an institutional perspective, the parliament elected in 2022 was a reformed one, as a constitutional revision had reduced the number of members of the two chambers. Although this reform did not alter the balance of power between the two branches, it could affect many aspects such as the internal functioning of the parliamentary houses, the recruitment of legislators and the behaviour of elected representatives inside and outside institutions. This panel aims at exploring the various facets of Italian politics after (or in the context of) the 2022 general elections and is consequently interested in papers dealing with topics such as the dynamics of party competition, the process of government formation, the composition of the cabinet and its policy agenda, executive-legislative relations, the interaction between government and opposition, the functioning of the reformed parliament, legislative recruitment and behaviour, and intra-party politics inside and outside the legislative arena. We invite papers employing quantitative as well as qualitative methodologies. Both case studies and comparative analyses are welcome.

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