| Term |
Author |
Discussants |
|
| Apertura a sinistra |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "Opening to the Left." The practice of enlarging the ruling coalition by bringing parties and politicians to the Left of the previous coalition, especially, used with regard to the Communist Party.
|
| Attendismo |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "Waiting-ism." The strategy of procrastinating and waiting until one?s opponent has revealed his/her preferences, acted and spent his/her resources before reacting.
|
| Blocco storico |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "historic or historical bloc." The formation of a stable class alliance that is capable of dominating political life for an extended period and, hence, of exercising egemonia (Gramsci).
|
| Campanilismo |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "Bell-Towerism." The intense allegiance felt towards one's immediate town or village or countryside that precludes identification with the nation or any larger entity.
|
| Combinazione |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "combinations." The political art of putting alliances together, especially ones that are unexpected.
|
| Decisionismo |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "decisionism." The practice of concentrating executive power (ostensibly) in order to make rapid and decisive decisions.
|
| Dietrologia |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "the behind science." The science of detecting what is going really on behind the political stage, as opposed to what is playing on the stage.
|
| Egemonia |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "Hegemony." The political capacity to convince others that your interests are also theirs (Gramsci).
|
| Francotiratore |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "the squirmishers" or "the free-shooters." The practice of deputies or senators voting against their own party when the vote is not nominal and they cannot be individually identified.
|
| Lottizzazione |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "lot-making" or "the splitting into lots." The practice of distributing seats, favors, jobs or whatever can be distributed by political authority according to some proportional formula that includes all major political parties.
|
| Mani pulite |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "clean hands." The movement by judges and public prosecutors to clean up corruption by bringing suits against individual and groups of politicians.
|
| Menefreghismo |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "Don't give a shit-ism." The ideology (and sometimes practice) of deliberately asserting a disregard for or disrespect toward one's opponent.
|
| Poteri occulti |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "hidden powers." Unclear how this differs from sottogoverno except that the latter are presumed to govern while the former are just presumed to influence.
|
| Qualunquismo |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "everyman-ism." A populist ideology of appealing to all voters or citizens. Perhaps first used in the 1920s.
|
| Scala mobile |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "the escalator." The policy of indexing wages to (anticipated) rates of inflation, usually including with tripartite social pacts.
|
| Sinistra indipendente |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "the independent Left." A status assigned to deputies or senators elected on Left-wing programs but not subject to the discipline of a particular Left party. More specifically, a label attached to candidates running on the Communist Party ticket but known not to be Party members.
|
| Sottogoverno |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "the under government." The existence of an unknown or clandestine coalition of private (social and economic) forces that sustains and controls the public (political) government.
|
| Trasformismo |
Schmitter Philippe C. |
|
|
|
Lit: "transformism." The practice of changing the composition of governments/cabinets in such a way as to perpetuate the head of government in power and/or to pursue the same policies with different personnel.
|
back
top