Managing communication in the Prime Minister’s Office, 1988–2012

Abstract

The permanent campaign has reinforced the centrality of communication and opinion polling as practices designed to rasie public awareness, understanding and acceptance of government decisions. Over time, the weakening of traditional political intermediaries and the presidentialisation of politics has increased the need to centralise the management of government communication and to monitor its impact. Of course, governments – and presidents, especially – have been the main actors, and the first to understand the importance of communication in maintaining popular support. The consequence is that the need to centralise the management of government communication and monitor its impact has grown over time. In this context, a direct relationship with the public becomes necessary for support management, with the effect of creating a democracy that is more participatory in theory but more centralised in practice – even more so when there is overlap between communication for the winning and the exercise of power, which the permanent campaign requires. In Europe, in the wake of the American experience, government communication has tended to increase at central level, to take a more institutionalised and centralised form, giving pride of place to monitoring public opinion. This article describes the Italian government communication framework, examining the institutionalisation of the way public opinion is monitored at the highest government level.