Among leaders and territories: the political networks of the district councillors in Naples |
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Authors: | Luciano Brancaccio |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Geography and Environment, The London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London, WC2A 2AE, UK;(2) School of Development Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, King George V Avenue, Durban, 4041, South Africa;(3) Department of Geography, Geography, School of Environmental Sciences, Pietermaritzburg Campus, UKZN, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, 3209, South Africa |
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Abstract: | This work describes the role of the district councillors of Naples, through an analysis of their relational networks. District
councils are the result of the administrative decentralization of the major Italian municipalities. During a 2 year field
research study, I gathered 387 semi-structured interviews with the councillors and 35 unstructured interviews with a set of
key informants. In order to increase the understanding of the political networks, I have also collected information through
direct observation of the councillors meetings and activities. The analysis combines qualitative and quantitative data. At
a formal level, district councillors don’t have any actual power, but, in practice, they gain important social capital resources
by playing a brokerage role between political patrons and their potential clients. I provide evidence that, on one side, they
hold strong ties with the higher level politicians; and, on the other side, they play a fundamental role in taking care of
the voters and collecting the electoral consensus. In conclusion, I argue that the district councillors of Naples perform
the tasks which were previously carried out by the traditional party organizations, assuming the role of the “new” professionals
of grass roots politics. |
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Keywords: | |
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