Abstract

The caselet talks about the political coalitions existing in Italy and the difficulties with regard to leading a coalition government. It also throws light on the changing equations among the partners in Italy’s coalition politics. The caselet discusses the relationship between parties in the coalition of the center-left Ulivo and focuses on the reforms introduced during the Prodi regime in Italy. It looks into the reasons for the existence of coalition politics.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Existence of coalition politics in Italy
• Economic and political reforms during the Prodi regime
• Fragmentation of Center-left Ulivo of Italy.

Keywords

Political coalitions, parliamentary elections, post World War II, vote of confidence, Euro nations, budget deficits, huge public debt, public administration, corporate governance laws, European Commission, European Parliament elections, transnational direct election, coalition politics