The Dynamics of (Personalized) Party Identification in the Second Italian Republic

Diego Garzia

doi:10.22151/politikon.15.2.2

Authors

Diego Garzia Università di Siena

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.15.2.2

Keywords:

personalization of politics, institutional changes, party erosion, party dealignment, leadership, erosion of cleavages, party system breakdown, elections

Abstract

Previous literature (e.g., McAllister 2007) has plainly assumed that the ‘personalization of politics’ in Western democracies is in large part due to the widespread ‘partisan dealignment’ going on in these societies. This paper provides an assessment of the causal relationship between these two phenomena in the Second Italian Republic, attempting to demonstrate that partisan dealignment is caused by – and not a cause of – the personalization of politics. Alternative explanations for the rapid weakening of partisan ties in the period 1994-2008 will be evaluated; then, it will be shown the prominence of leaders’ image among the determinants of individual (de)alignment with political parties; finally, it will be revealed how a generalized decrease in the number of partisan is linked to the (equally generalized) deterioration of the overall image of political leaders.

Author Biography

Diego Garzia, Università di Siena

Diego Garzia is PhD candidate in Comparative and European Politics at the University of Siena, Centre for the Study of Political Change (CIRCaP). Previously, he studied at the University of Rome (Sapienza) and Leiden University. His research interests include: political psychology, voting behavior, leadership, and the role of personality in political behavior.