Rome's right-wing mayor Gianni Alemanno



FRONT PAGE
Site Search
About us |
Quiénes somos |
A propos de nous | Über uns |
Mayor Monitor
Directories
Events
Debate


Italian Mayors
Mayors in Europe

Local government in The Americas:
| Argentina | Bolivia | Brazil | Canada | Caribbean | Chile | Mexico | Peru | USA | Venezuela |

Local government in Europe:
| Albania | Cyprus | France | Germany | Gibralta | Greece | Iceland | Ireland | Italy | Kosovo | Malta | Portugal | Russia | Spain | UK1 | UK2 |

Local government in Asia and Australia
| Australia | China | India | Indonesia | Japan | Malaysia | Philippines | Singapore | South East Asia | South Korea | Thailand | Turkey |

Local government in Africa
| South Africa |


City Mayors reports news from towns and cities around the world. Worldwide | Elections | North America | Latin America | Europe | Asia | Africa | Events |


Mayors from The Americas, Europe. Asia, Australia and Africa are competing for the annual World Mayor Award. More


City Mayors ranks the world’s largest as well as richest cities and urban areas. It also ranks the cities in individual countries, and provides a list of the capital cities of some 200 sovereign countries. More


City Mayors reports political events, analyses the issues and depicts the main players. More


City Mayors describes and explains the structures and workings of local government in Europe, The Americas, Asia, Australia and Africa. More


City Mayors profiles city leaders from around the world and questions them about their achievements, policies and aims. More


City Mayors deals with economic and investment issues affecting towns and cities. More


City Mayors reports on how business developments impact on cities and examines cooperation between cities and the private sector. More


City Mayors describes and explains financial issues affecting local government. More


City Mayors lists and features urban events, conferences and conventions aimed at urban decision makers and those with an interst in cities worldwide. More


City Mayors reports urban environmental developments and examines the challenges faced by cities worldwide. More


City Mayors reports on and discusses urban development issues in developed and developing countries. More


City Mayors reports on developments in urban society and behaviour and reviews relevant research. More


City Mayors deals with urban transport issues in developed and developing countries and features the world’s greatest metro systems. More


City Mayors examines education issues and policies affecting children and adults in urban areas. More


City Mayors investigates health issues affecting urban areas with an emphasis on health in cities in developing countries. More


City Mayors examines the importance of urban tourism to city economies. More


City Mayors examines the contributions history and culture make to urban society and environment. More


City Mayors describes the history, architecture and politics of the greatest city halls in the world. More


City Mayors invites readers to write short stories about people in cities around the world. More


City Mayors questions those who govern the world’s cities and talks to men and women who contribute to urban society and environment. More


City Mayors profiles national and international organisations representing cities as well as those dealing with urban issues. More


City Mayors reports on major national and international sporting events and their impact on cities. More


City Mayors lists cities and city organisations, profiles individual mayors and provides information on hundreds of urban events. More

Local government in Italy
From Rome to the smallest village,
Italian communes coexist as equals

By Andrew Stevens, Deputy Editor

21 February 2008: It could be said that Italy’s regions simultaneously bind and fragment the country due to inherent tensions within the system, most notably advanced by the secessionist party Lega Nord. However, Italy was one of the last states in Europe to embark upon nation-building and belatedly consolidated the various tiny states and papal entities in 1861 and its fragmented nature can be traced back throughout the ages. The newly unified Italy opted for a highly centralised system modelled on the French state, ignoring demands for federalism for fear of fragmentation.

An additional dimension arose from the annexation of territory such as South Tyrol by treaty in 1919, now one of several regions with special arrangements to reflect non-Italian speaking populations. Post-unification, the centralisation was continued to extremes under the fascist period of Italy’s history. The post-fascist era constitution of 1948 guaranteed regional autonomy and this was augmented in 1970 with direct elections. The five recognised special regions (either bordering other countries or islands) are endowed with specific legislative powers while the others are not, though all regions are governed by an elected council (giunta regionale) and president. The regions are then further divided into 103 provincial areas (modelled on the French departement), which since 1993 each elect their own council and president under proportional representation. They are also supervised by a prefect appointed by the national government in Rome.

The Italian commune (or communi) plays a central role in national life and is a settled feature of the political system. Over 8,000 in number, the communes are each headed by a mayor (sindaco) and elected council (consiglio communal) of between 15 and 80 members. From the capital Rome to the smallest village, the communes coexist on an equal basis, although the mayors of Rome and Milan can be seen as national political figures in their own right. They also enjoy high levels of allegiance from their local populations, making their boundaries hard to amend or reform. In addition to civil registration and local public services, including roads, communes are able to run their own local police forces and provide local healthcare services. The Italian capital Rome is served by 19 municipal entities, the Municipi.

A key debate in Italian local government mirrors the on-going tension between the wealthy north and the less affluent south. The equalisation regime remains contested by the northern regions, who would like to see large reductions in the subsidies paid to their southern counterparts. The tendency over the past decade therefore has been towards fiscal decentralisation, with regions being able to retain their tax receipts and the introduction of some new regional taxes and fiscal levers. In 2001, a major devolutionary reform was enacted with the introduction of the principle of constitutional subsidiarity and legal parity between central and regional governments. The process underpinning this is expected to last until 2013 however, rather than take place overnight. A referendum in June 2006 on reforms to give regions greater power over education and health saw voters reject them by almost two-thirds. The proposals, worked up under the former government of Silvio Berlusconi, were opposed by the newly-elected centre-left coalition of Romano Prodi and largely associated with the Northern League coalition partners of the outgoing administration. It was also ventured that if enacted, the reforms would place Italy on a federal footing.

World Mayor 2023