Prin 2020

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

Head: Lorenzo de Sio

Recent, disruptive political change in the Western world (Brexit; Trump; challenger parties across Europe; the birth in 2018 Italy of the first "populist" government in Western Europe) has deeply challenged theories of voting behavior and party competition, leading most scholars to broad explanations based on populism and irrational publics. Still, current research only scratches the surface of a possible de-ideologization process, lacking processual focus (and missed the impact of the Covid crisis, potentially leading to further change). POSTGEN 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:

(a) *time*: tracing the (memory and) dynamics of the formation of political attitudes (at the individual, generational, and collective level) and their impact on political behavior;

(b) *meanings* associated to different political issues, and the (lack of) overarching ideological organization thereof;

(c) *non-political actors and influencers*, and their increasing influence in an age of crisis of epistemic authorities

Geography and Social Inequality in Italy. School, Work, Family and Mobility across Marginal and Central Areas (GESI)

Head: Maria Rita Testa

Although classical research on social stratification has widely considered the geographical dimensions of social inequalities, surprisingly fewer studies have focused on how spatial arrangements affect the intergenerational reproduction of social inequalities in the last decades. The GESI (Geography and Social Inequality in Italy) is the first comprehensive study that investigates how the geographical area of origin affects different aspects of individual life courses and reverberates on social inequalities in life outcomes in Italy. The project considers the multidimensional and cumulative nature of social stratification, focusing on different aspects of individuals’ life chances: educational and occupational opportunities, social mobility pathways, family dynamics and internal geographical mobility. Four aims are addressed:

a) to investigate the effects of geographical origin on individuals’ life outcomes;

b) to study how geographical origin intersects with other dimensions of social inequality (e.g. education, social background of origin, etc.);

c) to examine how internal geographical mobility reinforces existing social inequalities;

d) to collect new and original data on different aspects of social and geographical inequalities.