Institutionalization of Parliament and Parliamentarization of Parties in Italy

In light of the recent changes in the relationship between the Christian Democratic and Communist Parties, this paper attempts to assess two important developments in the Italian political system: (1) the institutionalization of Parliament as the primary center for decision making; and (2) the parliamentarization of the two major parties. Evidence for the former is drawn from a review of the 1971 changes in parliamentary rules and for the latter from a study of Italian parliamentarians conducted in 1976. The Italian Parliament in the post-1971 period shows definite signs of institutionalization along a number of important dimensions. In addition, there seems to be a gradual move in the direction of increased parliamentarization of the two major parties.