Policy Decisions and Reversals in the Nuclear Energy Policy

European countries display an astonishing variance in the adoption of nuclear energy. In this paper, I assess, from a comparative perspective, the key factors that are likely to have influenced the development of nuclear energy policy in Italy. The nationalization of energy production and the emerging power of the regions appear to have delayed plans to build nuclear energy capacity in the crucial 1970s. Coalition politics, combined with limited returns from previous decisions, appeared crucial instead for the policy reversal of the 1980s. More favorable public opinion and a fair presence of issue inconsistent voters, combined with the lack of coalitional conflict on this issue, may explain the resurgence of nuclear power policy in the late 2000s.