According to the Democracy Index, Italy classifies as a flawed democracy. As of 2020, Italy's democracy was given 7.74 points, ranking only 29th worldwide. The index is based on electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, culture, as well as civil liberties. The electoral process and pluralism were given a very high score, while the government's functioning performed poorly. Political coalitions have often been at risk of collapse in Italy, and the country has faced situations of political instability several times over the last decade. Indeed, the score decreased between 2010 and 2020, reaching its lowest value of 7.74 points in several years during the last decade.
Short cabinets and instability
In January 2021, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigned due to an escalation of political uncertainty in the country. One party, led by the previous Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, stepped back from the coalition which was supporting Conte’s government. The duration of the last governments in Italy have been brief. In fact, this last government was Conte’s second cabinet within roughly three years. Since February, Mario Draghi is the new Italian Prime Minister and formed a technocratic government. He is a well-known persona in Europe as he is the previous President of the European Central Bank.
How deep is your trust in democracy?
The results of different surveys conducted in Italy show that citizens do not uniformly support democracy in the same way. In a survey conducted in 2019, over 60 percent of Italian respondents stated that the political system in Italy had been captured by corrupt, obsolete, and unreformable elite. Similar worrying answers resulted from a survey which asked Italians if they believed that democracy did not work anymore, and another form of government was necessary. Almost 70 percent of interviewees agreed with this statement.
Democracy index in Italy from 2010 to 2020
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Democracy index points (10 = full democracy)
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The source specifies that: "the Democracy Index is based on five categories: electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties.".
"The index values are used to place countries within one of four types of regime:
1. Full democracies: scores greater than 8
2. Flawed democracies: scores greater than 6, and less than or equal to 8
3. Hybrid regimes: scores greater than 4, and less than or equal to 6
4. Authoritarian regimes: scores less than or equal to 4"
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The Economist. (February 8, 2021). Democracy index in Italy from 2010 to 2020 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved August 24, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1215448/democracy-index-in-italy/
The Economist. "Democracy index in Italy from 2010 to 2020." Chart. February 8, 2021. Statista. Accessed August 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1215448/democracy-index-in-italy/
The Economist. (2021). Democracy index in Italy from 2010 to 2020. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: August 24, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1215448/democracy-index-in-italy/
The Economist. "Democracy Index in Italy from 2010 to 2020." Statista, Statista Inc., 8 Feb 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1215448/democracy-index-in-italy/
The Economist, Democracy index in Italy from 2010 to 2020 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1215448/democracy-index-in-italy/ (last visited August 24, 2024)
Democracy index in Italy from 2010 to 2020 [Graph], The Economist, February 8, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1215448/democracy-index-in-italy/