Non-partisan governments Italian-style: decision-making and accountability

Abstract Three non-partisan governments in less than 20 years, Italy reveals once more her deviance from European parliamentary democracies. This article explores the reasons why and how non partisan governments have been formed. It evaluates their contributions in terms of problem-solving and decision-making capabilities. It identifies their major democratic inconvenient in their almost total lack of accountability. Non-partisan governments are the consequence of the failure of political parties. The institutional circuit: ‘Parliament-Government-Presidency of the Republic’ has shown an unexpected resilience and flexibility. Hence, the reappearance and reassertion of ‘party government’ fully depends on the ability of Italian parties to reform themselves and to shape a new party system. Both tasks seem to be daunting for all of them caught in a serious leadership succession crisis and not organizationally consolidated. Nobody can tell what will occur when Mario Monti’s non-partisan government arrives at the end of his trajectory.