Abstract
Have concepts such as political legitimacy as well as democracy been further undermined by the recent financial crisis of 2008? This is what many social scientists have asked among many other questions which have addressed the effects of the crisis on political institutions and political processes. The change of government in Italy in 2011 and the Italian election of 2013 reflect these assumptions and they reflect the crisis of European politics. In fact, EU countries, notably Southern European countries have had their political and economic agenda dictated by EU bureaucrats and influenced by the Big Three credit rating agencies. There are different indicators which show that the political and democratic institutions of a country are challenged. For instance, the public opinion mistrust about political elites or the effects that globalisation and deregulation have had on societies, in turns, reflect the problem of corruption and illegality, and the erosion of national sovereignty. Within this context, this paper will investigate the crisis of legitimacy and the democratic deficit by analysing the recent events which characterised Italian politics following the economic crisis. Firstly, it will be discussed the relation between the concepts of legitimacy ‘n the context of democratic institutions. Secondly, it will be discussed the political situation of Italy since 2011 and the way a technocratic government replaced a democratically elected government as well as a political agenda explicitly dictated by the EU bureaucrats. Moreover, it will be taken into consideration the different factors which led to such a dramatic change. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n3s1p147
Highlights
The economic crisis of 2008 was set off primarily by the Anglo American finance sector and by central banks, which tolerated aggressive financial practices (Helleiner 2010)
It seems evident that since at least the 1970s the condition of crisis has characterised the economy of capitalism, it is within these events that the political system of many countries have been put under particular stress
Such analyses mainly consider the effect of the crisis in terms of the erosion of sovereignty and democracy, since some states had their economic agenda dictated by the EU commission and by the pressure of economic international institutions
Summary
The economic crisis of 2008 was set off primarily by the Anglo American finance sector and by central banks, which tolerated aggressive financial practices (Helleiner 2010). There are many analyses discussing the impact of the economic crisis on the political structures of modern democracies (Van Rijckeghem and Weder 2008; Gallie (ed.) 2013; Morlino and Piana 2014) Such analyses mainly consider the effect of the crisis in terms of the erosion of sovereignty and democracy, since some states had their economic agenda dictated by the EU commission and by the pressure of economic international institutions. Lauk’s argument that in the political structure of the EU there are not the principles, which originated in the European Enlightenment It will be analysed the political situation of Italy since 2011 and the way a technocratic government replaced a democratically elected government as well as a political agenda explicitly dictated by the EU bureaucrats. Berlusconi resigned in November 2011 and was replaced by a technocratic government and since 2011 Italy has witnessed three different governments from which at least the first two, influenced by the austerity policies imposed by the EU
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