Le riforme istituzionali: tra attori e veti, tradizioni e cultura politica

The article compares institutional reforms in Italy and Great Britain over the last two decades (1992-2010). Despite starting from very different political traditions, both countries have witnessed the main reform efforts in two common areas, namely decentralization and electoral laws, often triggered by pressures from below to devolve power to citizens. The analysis focuses on the dynamics of change, adopting the gradual change approach as introduced by Mahoney and Thelen (2010), as well as by considering the implications of the meta-policy nature of institutional policies. Looking at the role of actors and the influence of cultural and political factors in fostering/hindering change, the article argues that despite some similarities in the triggers of change, the two cases remain very different, mainly because of the persistent nature of long-term cultural constraints and vetoes in the Italian case. The analysis is also consistent with those approaches that underline the incremental nature of institutional change.