Fifi, Gianmarco (2021) The left and neoliberalism : making sense of the post-Eurozone crisis Italian political economy. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

The thesis investigates the reasons that led to a continuation and furthering of neoliberal policy-making (particularly fiscal austerity and labour market flexibilisaiton) in European countries after the sovereign debt crisis of 2010-11. The existing literature has often interpreted this process as the result of the pressures coming from markets’ speculation, European institutions or ruling classes within different countries. Italy has been considered a paradigmatic case in this regard, given the fact that, in the midst of the crisis, the country resorted to a technocratic government with the mandate to implement the policies asked by European institutions, while structural reforms were understood as constituting an implicit conditionality for the European Central Bank bond-market intervention. Conversely, labour organisations (particularly left-wing political parties and trade unions) are often depicted as victims of the process. The validity of such positions is assessed by exploring the debates over seven key reforms characterising post-2011 Italian political economy: the Save Italy decree, the insertion of the balanced budget clause in the Italian constitution, the Fornero labour market reform, the Jobs Act, the Dignity Decree, Quote 100 and the citizenship income. I employ interviews with left-wing politicians and unionists as well as content analysis of left-leaning newspapers to assess the level of consensus these groups accorded to the furthering of neoliberal measures.

The thesis cautions against the tendency to place unnecessary emphasis on the external impositions coming from the European Union and government elites at the national level. These have had a tangible impact only in so far as there was consensus or acquiescence over the policies at hand, crucially accorded also by potentially opposing groups. On the other hand, in the occasions in which such consensus was lacking, Italy was capable of straying in a significant manner from the policies championed by European institutions and financial markets. In order to make sense of the thesis findings, I draw from Open Marxist and Neo-Gramscian approaches to International Political Economy. Capitalist society in general, and the neoliberal era in particular, are characterised by the always potentially present struggle between those groups that push to enhance profits and the ones that want to reaffirm the protection of people’s basic needs and desires. Yet, the extent to (and the specific forms in) which such potentiality realises itself in practice is a matter of empirical enquiry and cannot be assessed a priori. The increasing acquiescence of labour organisations vis-à-vis neoliberal policies since the 1980s emerges here in all its relevance. In analysing this process, the thesis also investigates the specific reasons for which the Italian Left resorted to neoliberal policy-making. These were mainly threefold: i) the need to ensure, maintain or protect Italian anchoring to European integration, ii) the criticism of part of the Italian political class, which heavily relied on clientelistic spending in order to increase consensus, iii) the conviction that Italy had to solve its long-term macroeconomic issues (particularly, high debt and labour market dualism).

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory J Political Science > JC Political theory J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Neoliberalism -- Italy, Italy -- Economic policy -- 21st century, Italy -- Economic conditions -- 21st century, Financial crises -- Europe -- 21st century
Official Date:	September 2021
Dates:	Date Event September 2021 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Politics and International Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	Clift, Ben ; Rogers, Chris (Christopher James)
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	xiii, 398 leaves : illustrations
Language:	eng

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