POSTGEN - Generational gap and post-ideological politics in Italy – A generation-aware analysis of ideological destructuring and political change in the Italian case

UNIBO’s role: Local research unit  

Local Responsible: Prof. Dario Tuorto

Principal Investigator: Prof. Lorenzo De Sio - Luiss Guido Carli Free International University for Social Studies

 Partners:

Prof. Lorenzo De Sio - Luiss Guido Carli Free International University for Social Studies

Prof. Cristiano Vezzoni - University of Milan

Prof. Guido Legnante - University of Pavia

Project duration: 36 months

Start date: 01/06/2022

 End date: 01/06/2025

 Status: active

 Total Budget: 731.566 €

 UNIBO Budget: 114.095 €

 Project’s Topics: political change, political ideology; electoral behaviour, generational perspective; socialization; new technology

 Description:

Recent, disruptive political change in the Western world has deeply challenged theories of voting behaviour and party competition, leading most scholars to broad explanations based on populism and irrational publics.

 Some comparative research (see the ICCP project; see De Sio/Lachat 2020) has shown more specific mechanisms: challenger parties thrive on an ability to mobilize conflict by leveraging issue opportunities across ideological boundaries. This reveals a de-ideologized context, where voters, relying less on traditional ideological alignments, reward innovative post-ideological platforms.

Still, ICCP research only scratched the surface of a possible de-ideologization process, lacking processual focus (and missed the impact of the Covid crisis, potentially leading to further change).

 The project fills this gap by offering – on the Italian case, lying at the forefront of disruptive political change – an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms and dynamics of possible de-ideologization. It adopts a generation-aware perspective (needed for understanding change) with emphasis on younger generations, and with innovative focus on:

• Time: tracing the (memory and) dynamics of the formation of political attitudes (at the individual, generational, and collective level) and their impact on political behaviour
• Meanings associated to different political issues, and the (lack of) overarching ideological organization thereof
• Non-political actors and influencers, and their increasing influence in an age of crisis of epistemic authorities