Moving in the other direction? The impact of domestic party system change on Italian MEPs

Abstract

This paper re-examines some of the assumptions of the Europeanization literature by suggesting that it might be possible for domestic political events to have a direct influence on supranational political organizations. This possibility is addressed through an analysis of the impact that the dramatic political reform of the Italian party system in the 1990s had on the primary home of political party action in the EU, the European Parliament. The goal is to determine the extent to which the transformation of the Italian political party system impacted the party system of the EP, including internal party group cohesion and the political roles and influence of Italian MEPs within the EP. The results are in many ways counterintuitive and suggest that the norms and rules that structure the supranational institutions may be hardier and more resistant to shock than currently assumed.