Part I: Core concepts
La classe dirigente / James L. Newell
The Risorgimento / Anthony L. Cardoza
Trasformismo / Marco Valbruzzi
Partitocracy : parties and their critics in Italian political life / Maurizio Cotta
A tale of two Italys? The "Southern Question" past and present / John A. Davis
Part II: Political institutions
The Constitution / Giuliano Amato
The Presidents of the Republic / Gianfranco Pasquino
Government and Prime Minister / Mauro Calise
Parliament / Salvatore Vassallo
The courts / Carlo Guarnieri
Electoral systems / Marta Regalia
Party systems in post-World War II Italy / Carol Mershon
Bureaucracy / Simona Piattoni
Part III: Political traditions
Christian Democracy : the Italian party / Gianfranco Baldini
Communists / Paolo Bellucci
Socialists, Republicans, and Radicals / Nicolò Conti
Fascists and post-fascists / Piero Ignazi
Populism and the Lega Nord / Gianluca Passarelli
Liberalism and Liberals / Giovanni Orsina
Part IV: Political periods
Christian Democracy in power, 1946-1963 / Paolo Pombeni
The "Opening to the Left" / Ilaria Favretto
The compromesso storico / Stephen Hellman
The Pentapartito / Martin J. Bull
Tangentopoli : more than twenty years on / Martin Rhodes
Bipolarity (and after) / Jonathan Hopkin
Part V: Major figures
Alcide De Gasperi and Palmiro Togliati / Aldo Agosti
Gianni Agnelli and Enrico Mattei / Valerio Castronovo
Aldo Moro and Enrico Berlinguer / Emanuele Bernardi
Bettino Craxi and Giulio Andreotti / Antonio Varsori
Silvio Berlusconi and Romano Prodi / Mark Donovan and Mark Gilbert
Part VI: Religion and politics
The Italian Catholic hierarchy / Alberto Melloni
The Catholic Right / Paolo Acanfora
Religious differentiation and new religions in Italy / Roberto Cipriani and Verónica Roldán
The laity / Massimo Teodori
Part VII: Economic institutions, associations, and interests
Trends and tensions within the Italian family / Chiara Saraceno
Industry and the firm / Giuseppe Berta
The labour market / Patrick Vesan
The welfare state : pensions and health care / Maurizio Ferrera and Matteo Jessoula
The Bank of Italy / Lucia Quaglia
Trade unions / Marino Regini
Liberal and licensed professions / Carlo Carboni
The cooperative movement / Vera Zamagni
Part VIII: Politics, culture, and society
Cinema and television / Stephen Gundle
The press / Paolo Mancini
Intellectuals / Nadia Urbinati
Public ethics and political corruption in Italy / David Hine
Women in politics / Donatella Campus
Immigration / Giuseppe Sciortino
Social movements / Donatella della Porta
Terrorist movements / Anna Cento Bull
Mafia, Camorra and 'Ndrangheta / Letizia Paoli
Part IX: External relations
Italy and the Atlantic Alliance / Mario Del Pero
Gli esami non finiscono mai : Italy and the European Union / Vincent Della Sala
Italy and the Mediterranean after WWII / Roberto Aliboni.