Browsing by Author "Giovannini, Arianna"
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Item Open Access The 2021 Metro Mayors Elections: LocalismRebooted?(Wiley, 2021-08) Giovannini, AriannaMetro mayors are the latest addition to the complex jigsaw of subnational governance inEngland, and were introduced from 2014 to lead, allegedly, a‘devolution revolution’. This articlefocusses on the 2021 election to reflect on the roots andfirst mandate of these new mayors, tounderstand how they fared at the ballot box, and to assess whether and in what ways they aremaking an impact. The analysis shows that metro mayors are maturing as institutions, and theyare becoming more rooted in the public imagination. Harnessing‘the power of place’was a keydriver of success: some metro mayors have shown a potential to‘reboot localism’and, with it,devolution. However, resistance from central government to let go of power persists and couldhinder both the metro mayors’and the devolution agendas going forward.Item Open Access The 2022 Italian general election: a political shock or the new normal?(Firenze University Press, 2021-06-09) Giovannini, Arianna; Valbruzzi, Marco; Vampa, DavideThis introduction to the special issue places the 2022 Italian general election within the recent electoral history of Italy and the broader European context. Following the same multidimensional structure adopted for this collection of articles, here we address general questions regarding the significance of the last election, its dynamics, and implications. Firstly, to what extent did it represent a change compared to previous Italian elections? Secondly, can Italy still be regarded as an anomaly in the European context? Have the 2022 results widened or narrowed the political gap between the country and its neighbours? By providing a longitudinal and cross-sectional overview, our aim is to suggest some interpretative keys, which, in conjunction with the rich data presented and discussed by the authors of each article, may enable readers to draw general lessons about recent developments in Italian and European politics. Our overall argument is that, while clearly significant in its political implications – producing the most ideologically right-wing government in republican history led by the first female prime minister –, the 2022 general election did not represent a radical change from previous Italian elections. Instead, it marked a further step in the emergence of a ‘new political normal’ characterised by volatility, fragmentation, mainstreaming of populist ideas and actors, polarisation and the reframing of socio-economic and socio-cultural cleavages. Additionally, while Italy can be regarded as the most advanced manifestation of these transformations, we observe similar shifts in most Western European countries, indicating that their seemingly unshakable stability is now in question.Item Open Access AUTONOMIA DIFFERENZIATA COME PROCESSO DAL BASSO: I REFERENDUM REGIONALI IN PROSPETTIVA COMPARATA(Franco Angeli, 2019-12) Giovannini, Arianna; Vampa, Davide; GiovanniniIn Italian: In questo contributo i referendum per l’autonomia di Lombardia e Veneto vengono analiz-zati con riferimento a consultazioni che hanno portato alla differenziazione delle strutture di governance territoriale in altri paesi. I motivi politici alla base dei due referendum sono poi collegati agli sviluppi degli ultimi due anni. L’articolo sottolinea la presenza di una tensio-ne territoriale esistente non soltanto fra i maggiori partiti italiani, ma anche al loro interno. Il tema del regionalismo differenziato infatti viene interpretato diversamente dai leader po-litici regionali e nazionali. Questa contraddizione non risparmia nessun partito, neanche la Lega, la cui nuova strategia “nazionale” appare meno compatibile con le domande di auto-nomia provenienti dalle sue tradizionali zone di insediamento. In un contesto in cui la di-mensione politica regionale è sempre più scollegata da quella nazionale, il destino del re-gionalismo differenziato appare dunque alquanto incerto. Parole chiave: Referendum, Autonomia, Politica, Partiti In English: In this contribution the autonomy referendums held in Lombardy and Veneto in 2017 are analysed and compared to similar experiences in other countries, which have led to the dif-ferentiation of territorial governance structures. The political motivations underpinning the two referendums are linked to developments of the last two years. The article underlines the existence of a territorial tension not only between the main Italian political parties, but also within them. Indeed, the issue of differentiated regionalism is interpreted in different ways by regional and national political leaders. This contradiction affects all parties, including the League, as its new “national” strategy seems to be less compatible with the demands for more autonomy coming from its traditional strongholds. Therefore, in a context in which the regional political dimension is increasingly disconnected from the national one, the future of differentiated regionalism appears to be uncertain. Keywords: Referendum, Autonomy, Politics, PartiesItem Open Access A Better Place.(Palgrave, 2017-08) Giovannini, Arianna; Berry, CraigThis chapter situates the book’s analyses of the Northern Powerhouse, devolution and Northern economic development more generally within an emerging ‘politics of place’. It argues furthermore that a political economy of place is required to more fully understand the pursuit of economic development in the North by both local and national elites. The chapter distills the key lessons we can infer from the book, including the multiple and long-standing nature of development dilemmas in the North, the problematic framing of the North in national debates, the dysfunctional nature of economic governance in the North (and the messy relationship between devolution and existing institutional structures) and the damaging impact of tax reform on Northern cities and regions. The chapter ends by outlining a set of policy reforms designed to place Northern economic development on a more sustainable, progressive and democratic path, focusing on changes at the centre, and in centre–local relations, as well as at the local level.Item Open Access Citizen participation and changing governance: cases of devolution in England(Policy Press, 2017-04-01) Giovannini, Arianna; Prosser, B.; Renwick, A.; Sandford, M.; Flinders, M.; Jennings, W.; Spada, P.; Stoker, G.; Ghose, K.The current process of devolving powers within England constitutes a significant change of governance arrangements. This process of devolution has been widely criticised for including insufficient consultation. This paper assesses whether that criticism is fair. Modifying Archon Fung’s framework for the analysis of public participation mechanisms, we begin by considering whether the depth of public engagement has been limited. Then, by comparing these consultation practices with other examples (including one we have ourselves trialled in pilot experiments), we find that deeper forms of public engagement would have been both possible (though at some financial cost) and productive.Item Open Access COVID-19 and English Devolution(Sage, 2020-09-01) Giovannini, AriannaItem Embargo Developing England's North: The Political Economy of the Northern Powerhouse(Routledge, 2017-08-31) Giovannini, Arianna; Berry, CraigThis book brings together a unique group of scholars to explore the politics of local economic development in Northern England. Socio-economic conditions in the North –and its future prospects – have become central to national debates in the UK around economic change following the 2008 financial crisis, associated with efforts to rebalance the economy away from London and the South East, and the finance sector. The book focuses in particular upon the coalition and Conservative governmentsNorthern Powerhouse agenda, and associated efforts to devolve power to local authorities across England, which promise to bring both greater prosperity and autonomy to the deindustrialised North. Several chapters critically interrogate these initiatives, and their ambitions, by placing them in wider historical, geographical, institutional and ideological contexts; as such, the book seeks to locate Northern England within a broader understanding of the political dimension of economic development. The books conclusion outlines a series of ideas for enhancing the Norths developmental prospects.Item Open Access Divided and connected: Regional inequalities in the North, the UK and the developed world – State of the North 2019(IPPR North, 2019-11-27) Giovannini, Arianna; Raikes, Luke; Getzel, BiancaAt a time of great upheaval, uncertainty and division, instead of looking inward this year’s State of the North looks outward – to the country and across the developed world to show how the North fits into a bigger picture. We investigate how divided but interdependent we are as a country, comparing the UK to countries overseas. We show how centralised governance has been an especially acute problem for the UK and discuss how it has exacerbated our regional divides. Finally, we show how devolution could be a source of hope and real change. We highlight the pioneering northern mayors who have already shown what devolution can do, even with their limited powers. We conclude by setting out the ambition for the North in 2020.Item Embargo England: The North-South Divide(Routledge, 2019) Giovannini, Arianna; Rose, JonathanThe aim of this contribution is to explain and assess the relevance of the North-South divide in England. To achieve this, we start by tracing the roots of the North-South divide discourse, in historical, economic and cultural terms. We also provide a definition of what constitutes North and South in our analysis, before moving on to examine the political dimension of the divide, focusing on electoral behaviour. Through this investigation we both explain and challenge assumptions about the presence of a divide that cuts across England, especially in the contemporary context. We conclude by linking our findings on electoral behaviour to policy strategies devised by central government to address the North-South divide in recent years, and offer a critical assessment of these.Item Open Access The ‘evolution’ of devolution: assessing Labour’s legacy in England(Hart Publishing, 2021) Giovannini, AriannaDebates on political decentralisation in the UK date back at least to the beginning of the 19th Century. Yet, only over the past two decades have we seen the implementation of devolution across the country, and the Labour Party has undoubtedly played a key role in this process. Whilst until the late 1970s Labour’s approach to devolution was mainly ‘reactive’, responding to pressures coming from the ‘Celtic nations’, proactive discussions within the party and clearer policy lines started to concretise in the 1980s. From 1997 onwards, once back in power, Labour opened a process of constitutional reform and put devolution into practice, adopting an asymmetrical approach tailored around the different nations of the UK – even though divisions were often rife within the party over the subject. After the 2010 general election, however, once in government the Conservative party has increasingly (and pragmatically) taken ownership of the devolution agenda. Thus, twenty years on, devolution still remains an ‘unfinished business’ and the process is far from settled. Against this background, the aim of this Chapter is to assess the legacy of the Labour party in the on-going process of devolution, focusing on England – which remains, by and large, the ‘gaping hole’ in the devolution settlement and is therefore one of the most controversial cases within the UK. The analysis will: i) examine the roots of the English devolution debate within the Labour party; ii) offer a critical overview of the way in which devolution was framed, conceived and put into practice by the Labour party whilst in power (1997-2010) in England, focusing first on policy developments and then assessing the party political dimension of the debate; iii) explore how the devolution agenda has evolved from 2010 onwards, concentrating in particular on continuities and changes between Labour and Conservative approaches, and evaluating Labour’s legacy in this respect as well as most recent developments . The analysis will show that divisions as well as dissonance of views and approaches within the Labour party hindered the devolution agenda in England during their time in government. As such, English devolution remained a dilemma within Labour’s programme of constitutional reform that the party did not manage to address in full back then and with which it still struggles to grapple.Item Metadata only The Future of Local Councils(SLCC, 2023) Giovannini, Arianna; Griggs, Steven; Jones, Alistair; Parker, Stephen; Rose, JonathanItem Open Access In the eye of the storm: English local government and the COVID-19 crisis(Edward Elgar, 2021-03) Giovannini, AriannaThe COVID-19 crisis has exposed the problematic nature of centre-local relations in the UK. This is particularly true in England, where the centre maintains a strong hold over the subnational governance. The aim of this chapter is to shed light on this issue, assessing how the presence of systemic weaknesses in multi-level governance structures has affected pandemic responses since the start of the coronavirus emergency in England. On the one hand, the analysis shows the resilience of the local level, emphasising the potential of place-based responses and locally rooted leadership against the top-down approach endorsed by the centre. On the other hand, however, it also indicates the persistence of central government’s dominance over local authorities. This has led to a growing chasm between central and local government, which impacts negatively on policy outcomes and requires to be addressed through a reform of vertical relationships and power allocation in England.Item Open Access Introduction: Powerhouse politics and economic development in the North(Palgrave, 2017-07) Giovannini, Arianna; Berry, CraigWhy the North, why now and what is new? This chapter establishes the scholarly and real-world contexts within which the pursuit of economic development in the North should be studied. It discusses the Northern Powerhouse agenda, recent changes related to Brexit, the persistence of geographical inequalities between England’s regions, the historical context of devolution, the experience of deindustrialisation and the broader patterns of global capitalist restructuring within which Northern economic development is situated. The chapter also summarises the book’s contents and discusses how the North can be defined—and indeed what attempts to define the North tell us about the politics of economic development.Item Open Access Leadership, Carisma e Identità. Il caso dello Scottish National Party sotto la guida di Alex Salmond (Leadership, Charisma and Identity. The case of the Scottish National Party under the lead of Alex Salmond)(Ragion Pratica, Il Mulino, 2016-06) Giovannini, AriannaAs many scholars have noted, in contemporary Western liberal democracies there is a growing trend towards the personalisation of party politics. In practice, this has coincided with the emergence of strong, often charismatic, leaders – which, in turn, has lead to an increasing ‘emptying’ of ideological values and alignments within parties. This paper seeks to add to the current debate offering an analysis of a party that seems to counter such tendency: the Scottish National Party (SNP). By analysing the SNP under the lead of Alex Salmond, it will be argued that the presence of a strong and charismatic leadership can have «virtuous effects», strengthening rather than weakening a party’s structures and values as well as its ability to govern.Item Open Access Levelling up(UK in a Changing Europe, 2021-01-11) Giovannini, AriannaItem Open Access Local Government in England: 40 years of decline(Unlock Demoracy, 2021-03-16) Giovannini, Arianna; Griggs, Steven; Barnett, NeilThis is an independent report produced by the authors for Unlock Democracy, which explores the process of increasing decline of local government in England over the past 40 years.Item Open Access Looking North: the multi-level governance of economic policy(Agenda Publishing, 2020-07) Giovannini, Arianna; Raikes, LukeDebates on the state of regional inequalities in the UK date back decades. And yet, recent studies have clearly shown that these divides are widening even further, and the UK is now one of the most regionally unequal countries in the developed world (Raikes, Giovannini and Getzel, 2019; UK2070 2020; OECD 2020). The lack of a coherent industrial strategy, together with over-centralisation of power and resources by the government, have played a key role in this negative process (Raikes, 2019; Raikes, Giovannini and Getzel, 2019). And these two are related – unlike in other countries, the UK does not have the devolved institutions needed to develop industrial strategies (Raikes, 2019). While the effects of these overlapping dynamics are felt across the country, the North of England stands out as an area of particular interest. On the one hand, the North has been faring considerably less well than other parts of the UK in economic terms. On the other, however, the North’s economy is not inherently on a “negative spiral”; it has been held back by over-centralisation and patchy industrial and economic policy, but it also has the assets to reverse such trends and thrive (Raikes, 2019). It is no coincidence that the North cyclically (re-)emerges as a crucial area in national economic policy and in the debate on rebalancing the economy. The new government’s “levelling up” agenda is just the latest iteration of this process and has put, once again, the North under the spotlight. This time, however, there are also specific political interests at play, as the government owes its parliamentary majority to the fall of the so-called “Red Wall”, and to the votes that many northern constituencies have “lent” to the Conservatives. And yet, despite much rhetoric, it remains unclear whether and how Boris Johnson’s government will manage to tackle regional inequalities in a way that is sustainable, valuing both tradeable and foundational sectors of the economy, and gives the North the leverage it needs to take control of its own future. Against this background, the aim of this chapter is to assess the multi-level governance of economic policy in the North. To achieve this, we first offer an overview of the asset base and economic geography of the North of England, and we then shed light on the issues of scale that underpin the debate on industrial policy. After having made the case for a functioning system of multi-level governance to harness the North’s potential, we discuss how different tiers could work together, and how new governance structures could be made democratically legitimate – tapping also into issues of identity in the North. Finally, we look at devolution as a key policy to unlock the North’s potential, especially in the context of the new government’s Northern Powerhouse and “levelling up” agendas.Item Open Access L’anno del Covid-19. l'Italia al bivio.(Il Mulino, 2021-06-03) Giovannini, Arianna; Mosca, LorenzoIl 2020 è stato indubbiamente un anno «straordinario». Per la prima volta dai tempi della seconda guerra mondiale, una crisi di natura esogena e di portata globale – ossia lo scoppio della pandemia di Covid-19 – ha letteralmente travolto l’Italia. Questa edizione di Politica in Italia (Pit) riflette, dunque, la natura anomala dell’annata su cui si concentra. Tradizionalmente, lo scopo di Pit è quello di offrire un’analisi e un’interpretazione dei principali fatti dell’anno. Per il 2020, è stato necessario sovvertire questa cornice interpretativa, leggendo la crisi Covid-19 come il single key event che ha caratterizzato, in sostanza, tutti i fatti dell’anno. Partendo da tale premessa, questo capitolo introduttivo ha l’obiettivo di impostare le basi analitiche del volume, definendo la crisi Covid-19 come una giuntura critica (critical juncture). Attraverso questa chiave di lettura ci proponiamo, da un lato, di chiarire le ragioni che hanno reso il 2020 eccezionale e fornire una prima disamina dei principali sviluppi politici, sociali e istituzionali dell’anno. Dall’altro lato, questo approccio prepara il terreno alle analisi che seguono nei capitoli successivi, distillando la logica dei temi selezionati per questo volume. La nostra tesi è che una crisi imprevista e di lunga durata, come quella legata alla pandemia, abbia drasticamente sconvolto i fragili equilibri del paese, influenzando in maniera profonda la politica, le istituzioni e la società. Come si vedrà oltre, se nel breve periodo si è assistito a svolte «inaspettate», le condizioni pregresse del sistema Italia hanno invece prevalso sul finire dell’anno. Ciò non significa che i mutamenti si siano interrotti. Riteniamo, infatti, che la partita vera del Covid-19 come critical juncture si giocherà sul lungo periodo. Il nostro contributo si propone di affrontare dunque queste problematiche, concentrandosi in particolare su tre aspetti. In primo luogo, nella sezione che segue introdurremo il concetto di giuntura critica, per poi fare riferimento a eventi simili già verificatisi in passato e alle loro conseguenze. Sosterremo che la portata e gli effetti di un «momento critico» come quello che ha sconvolto i normali tempi istituzionali, politici e sociali nel corso del 2020 non possano essere compresi prescindendo dalle condizioni contestuali preesistenti. In secondo luogo, analizzeremo l’«evoluzione» delle dinamiche politiche all’interno della coalizione di governo, cercando di valutare, in particolare, l’abilità (o meno) degli attori politici coinvolti direttamente nella gestione della crisi Covid-19 di attivare un circuito virtuoso tra capacità e legittimità di governance (si vedano Ceccobelli e Vaccari in questo volume) – concentrandoci su quattro «fasi chiave» del 2020, ovvero pre-pandemia, prima ondata di contagi, rallentamento dei contagi e riaperture, seconda ondata di contagi. Infine, prendendo spunto da queste basi, la sezione successiva cerca di offrire un ulteriore approfondimento sul retaggio istituzionale della crisi, concentrandosi sul caso specifico della governance multilivello e delle relazioni centro-periferia. Questa dimensione ci permette di fare luce su uno dei più delicati e controversi aspetti della struttura istituzionale italiana – in continua tensione tra una costituzione che promuove le autonomie territoriali e un regionalismo che, in pratica, resta incompleto e asimmetrico – aiutandoci dunque a comprendere, da un lato, il cambiamento delle relazioni tra diversi livelli di governo durante il 2020 e, dall’altro, l’impatto di questi mutamenti sulla stabilità del paese. Per ovvie ragioni, la nostra analisi non può offrire una disamina degli effetti di lungo termine della pandemia sul sistema politico italiano, perché la crisi sanitaria è ancora in corso. Ci permette però di analizzare in maniera critica gli impatti di breve e medio termine, di cui si darà conto nelle conclusioni di questo capitolo.Item Open Access "No regionalism please, we are Leghisti!". The transformation of the Italian Lega Nord under the leadership of Matteo Salvini(Taylor and Francis, 2018-09-03) Giovannini, Arianna; Albertazzi, Daniele; Seddone, AntonellaWhilst the Lega Nord has traditionally been defined as a regionalist populist party, since Matteo Salvini became its leader in 2013 it has undergone a process of profound ideological transformation. This article assesses this momentous change and the impact it could have on the future of the Lega, drawing on a content analysis of Salvini’s and the party’s Facebook posts, as well as interviews with regional leaders. It argues that, under Salvini’s personal style of leadership: a) regionalism has been replaced by an empty form of nativist nationalism, which fails to address socio-economic issues related to the North-South divide; b) populism remains central to the party’s strategic communication, but the EU has taken Rome’s place as the people’s ‘enemy’; c) this ideological shift has paid-off at the 2018 general election, but is underpinned by latent fractures between the leader and regional representatives which could have profound implications in the future.Item Open Access The Future of Local Councils: A Survey of Parish, Town and Community Councils in England and Wales(SLCC, 2023-01) Rose, Jonathan; Giovannini, Arianna; Griggs, Steven; Parker, Steven; Parker, StevenFor many communities across England and Wales, parish, town, and community councils are the first tier of elected local government. Yet, the roles and responsibilities of these local councils, like other tiers of local government, remain poorly understood by many members of the public. Local councils can raise their own funds. They can act as stewards of communities. They hold in trust halls and buildings, provide playgrounds and sport facilities and manage green spaces. They deliver and support local services. And they represent and empower community voices in local planning and neighbourhood development. Yet we know relatively little about the day-to-day work of local councils and those who serve them. This report addresses this knowledge gap, and presents the results of a major new survey of local councils.