Le basi del sostegno al cabinet e i background ministeriali in Italia

CABINET SUPPORT AND MINISTERIAL BACKGROUNDS IN ITALY The origins and ministerial backgrounds reflect the foundations of support for the cabinet. So-called “technical governments” are cabinets with a prominent base of presidential support and are characterized, in whole or in part, by outsiders and specific “technical” ministerial competencies. Among the party-led governments the A. considers, only those led by Berlusconi and Prodi have a significant electoral support base: outsiders are few (although their role carries more weight than their numbers would suggest), and the “technical” competencies typical of governments with strong presidential backing are less widespread. The classic post-electoral party governments (of both the First and Second Italian Republics) rely primarily on partisan support and offer more ministerial opportunities to those within their ranks who have not been elected to Parliament, compensating for this choice by appointing more parliamentarians as undersecretaries. The presence of “technical” competencies favored by the President of the Republic is more common than in electorally derived governments, which are formed with greater autonomy from the Head of State.