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The new wave of populism that has emerged over the last five years in Europe and in the US urgently needs to be better understood in a comparative and historical context. Using Italy - including the experiment of a self-styled populist coalition government - as a case study, this book investigates how populists in power borrow, use and manipulate categories of constitutional theory and instruments of constitutional law. Giuseppe Martinico goes beyond treating constitutionalism and populism as purely antithetical to dive deeply into the impact of populism on the activity of some instruments of constitutional democracy, endeavoring to explore their role as possible fora of populist claims and targets of populist attacks. Most importantly, he points to ways in which constitutional democracies can channel populist claims without jeopardizing the legacy of post-World War II constitutionalism. This book is aimed at academics and practicing lawyers interested in populism and comparative constitutional law.
List of contents
1. Populist Constitutionalism: An Oxymoron? 2. Italy and Post-World War II Constitutionalism; 3. Mimetism and Parasitism in Action: Sovereignism and Identity Politics versus Post WWII - Constitutional Openness; 4. Mimetism and Parasitism in Action: Politics of Immediacy and the Case of The Referendum; 5. The Assault on Representative Democracy as the Other Side of the Politics of Immediacy; 6. The Return of the Imperative Mandate?; 7. Filtering Populist Claims to Fight Populism; Final Remarks.
About the author
Giuseppe Martinico is Full Professor of Comparative Public Law at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies. Previously, he was García Pelayo Fellow at the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies (CEPC), Madrid, and Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, Florence.
Summary
Using Italy as a case study, Martinico examines the question of how and whether constitutional democracies can channel populist claims without jeopardizing the legacy of post-World War II constitutionalism. This book is aimed at academics and practicing lawyers interested in the development of populism and comparative constitutional law.
Additional text
'This is, by far, the best comparative law book on the relationship between constitutionalism and populism. It offers a fresh view on a fascinating topic thanks to its conceptual and analytical toolbox. Mimetism and parasitism are key to understanding the latest developments in Italian populism. This is mandatory reading for scholars interested in populism.' Oreste Pollicino, Professor of Constitutional Law, Bocconi University, Milan
