This monograph thoroughly illustrates the debate on federalism and regionalism as it emerged in Italy in the years preceding the unification of 1861 and then again in the early 1990s, a debate mainly centred on the deep socio-economic differences between the North and the South of the country. Torn between centripetal and centrifugal forces, the Italian regional model implemented with the 1948 constitution and strengthened in 2001 provokes questions that intersect with topical debates engaging scholars globally, potentially stimulating comparative discussions. While the future of Italian regionalism remains unclear, the Italian regional model combines lessons coming from different theoretical experiences, including federalism, sub-state nationalism, and the European unification process, representing a novel experiment fashioned by those who were looking for a compromise between unitary and federal schemes.
Author(s): Erika Arban
Series: Federalism and Internal Conflicts
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 203
City: London
About This Book
Contents
About the Author
1 Federalism, Regionalism, Sub-state Nationalism: Some Theoretical Insights
1.1 Federalism
1.1.1 Etymology and Historical Precedents
1.1.2 Federalism in Modern Times: Bullinger, Althusius, and the Enlightenment
1.1.3 The Emergence of Federalism in North America
1.1.4 Federalism in Europe
1.1.5 Federalism in Contemporary Times
1.1.6 Common Elements of Federations
1.1.7 Asymmetrical and Multinational Federations
1.1.8 Conclusion: Federalism as a Dynamic Concept
1.2 Regionalism and the Regional State
1.2.1 Theories of Regionalism
1.2.2 The Regional State and Its Identifying Elements
1.3 Sub-state Nationalism
1.3.1 Nations and Nationalism
1.3.2 Plurinational States and Federations
1.3.3 Challenges to the Nation State and Forms of Constitutional Accommodation
1.3.4 Other Forms of Accommodation
References
2 Italian Regionalism: From Risorgimento to the 2001 Constitutional Reform
2.1 The Pre-unitary Period
2.1.1 Federalism in the Nineteenth Century
2.1.2 Carlo Cattaneo and His Idea of Federalism
2.2 The 1861 Unification and the Formation of the Italian State
2.2.1 The Unification Process: Administrative Unification
2.2.2 The Statuto Albertino
2.2.3 The Debate Over the Creation of Regions
2.2.4 The Aftermath of Italian Unification
2.2.5 Gaetano Salvemini and the “Southern Question”
2.2.6 Catholic Church and Local Self-Government
2.2.7 The First Post-war Period
2.2.8 The Post-fascism Period
2.3 The 1948 Constitution and the Regional State
2.3.1 The Constituent Assembly
2.3.2 The 1948 Constitution: The Regional State
2.3.3 Special and Ordinary Regions
2.3.4 The Implementation of the Regional Model in the 1970s
References
3 Italian Regionalism: The 2001 Constitutional Reform and Beyond
3.1 The Path to the 2001 Constitutional Reform: The Resurgence of Federal Ideas
3.1.1 The Bicameral Committee
3.1.2 The Restructuring of Public Administration
3.1.3 Other Pre-2001 Reforms
3.1.4 Provisions on the Functioning of Regions
3.2 The 2001 Constitutional Reform (Articles 114–120 and 127)
3.2.1 The Component Units of Italian Regionalism (Article 114 Const.)
3.2.2 The Abrogation of Article 115 Const.
3.2.3 Differential Regionalism (Article 116 Const.)
3.2.4 The Division of Legislative Powers (Article 117 Const.)
3.2.5 The Principle of Subsidiarity (Article 118 Const.)
3.2.6 Fiscal Federalism (Article 119 Const.)
3.2.7 Substitution Powers (Article 120 Const.)
3.2.8 The So-Called Federalist Principle (Article 127 Const.)
3.3 The Post-2001 Constitutional Reforms of Title V
3.3.1 The (Failed) Constitutional Reform of 2006
3.3.2 The 2012 Reform (Constitutional Law 1/2012)
3.3.3 The (Failed) Constitutional Reform of 2016
3.3.4 The Reform of the Number of MPs of 2020
3.3.5 The 2022 Reform
3.4 Italian Regions and the European Union
3.5 Future Trends of Italian Regionalism
References
4 Theorising Economic Regionalism, Asymmetry, and Subsidiarity
4.1 Economic Regionalism and the Italian Case Study
4.1.1 Defining Economic Regionalism
4.1.2 Lega Nord, Economic Regionalism, Sub-state Nationalism
4.2 Economic Regionalism and Asymmetry
4.2.1 Asymmetry in General
4.2.2 Features of Constitutional Asymmetry
4.2.3 Constitutional Asymmetries in Italy
4.2.4 Asymmetry and Economic Differences
4.3 Subsidiarity
4.3.1 A Brief Intellectual History of Subsidiarity
4.3.2 Subsidiarity in Italy
4.3.3 Vertical Subsidiarity
4.3.4 Horizontal Subsidiarity
4.3.5 Subsidiarity in the Interpretation of the Constitutional Court
4.3.6 Subsidiarity Beyond Federalism
4.4 Conclusion
References
5 Reconciling (Economic) Regionalism and Solidarity
5.1 Solidarity in General
5.1.1 Constitutional and Federal Solidarity: A Comparative Overview
5.1.2 The Three Meanings of (Federal) Solidarity
5.2 Solidarity in Italy
5.2.1 Federalism and Solidarity as Antithetical Concepts
5.2.2 Solidarity in the Italian Constitution and Constitutional Case Law
5.3 Reconciling Federalism and Solidarity
5.3.1 Horizontal and Vertical Solidarity
5.3.2 The Alleged Clash Between Federalism and Solidarity
5.4 Conclusion
References
6 Conclusion: Reconciling Federalism, (Economic) Regionalism, and Solidarity
6.1 Acknowledging Economic Regionalism and Economic Differences
6.1.1 Reasons of Principle
6.1.2 Reasons of Prudence and the Reconciliation of Diversity and Social Cohesion
6.1.3 Unlock the Willingness to Show Solidarity
6.2 The Morality of Autonomist Claims in Economic Regionalism
6.3 Suggesting Strategies to Explain Asymmetrical Interests
6.3.1 Asymmetrical Solutions
6.4 Conclusion
References
Index
