Super partes? Ideological leaning of heads of state and their distance from prime ministers
Articolo
Data di Pubblicazione:
2023
Citazione:
Super partes? Ideological leaning of heads of state and their distance from prime ministers / A. Ceron. - In: CONTEMPORARY ITALIAN POLITICS. - ISSN 2324-8831. - (2023), pp. 1-15. [Epub ahead of print] [10.1080/23248823.2023.2204259]
Abstract:
Presidents in parliamentary democracies are commonly perceived
as neutral actors, with limited influence on everyday politics.
However, Italian heads of state have the widest set of powers
among European parliamentary democracies. Recent episodes
occurring during the presidential terms of Giorgio Napolitano and
Sergio Mattarella suggest that heads of state can indeed play
a political role, influencing cabinet formation and day-to-day political events and processes. This article examines whether Italian
heads of state can be considered non-partisan political actors or
whether, in contrast, their ideological leanings can be inferred from
their public speeches and declarations. By compiling and analysing
a new and original dataset based on content analysis of presidents’
investiture speeches and New Year’s Eve messages, we mapped the
political positions of Italian heads of state over 76 years (1946–
2022). As such, the article investigates the conditions under which
the position of the President is closer to that of the Prime Minister
on the ideological left-right scale and on foreign policy. The analysis
reveals that the ideological distance between them is lower when
both belong to the same ideological party family and when the
Prime Minister has been appointed to form a president’s cabinet,
closer to the preferences of the head of state.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
content analysis; Head of state; ideology; legislative speeches; New year’s eve messages; prime minister
Elenco autori:
A. Ceron
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