Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Italy in the European Union: Redefining National Interest in a Compound Polity

Based on an analytical evaluation of both the weaknesses and strengths of the Italian political system, Italy in the European Union is the first book to offer a detailed and comprehensive description of Italy's contribution to European Union policy-making. The contributors to this volume systematically explore the role played by Italian institutional and noninstitutional actors in several decision-making processes. They show how Italian institutional actors define and promote national policy preferences that are compatible with those of the other European member states. However, the book functions on two levels: it is both a nuanced picture of Italy's role in the EU and a study of the EU as it has been transformed by subsequent waves of enlargement. In a compound polity of twenty-seven member states the formation of stable hegemonic coalitions is implausible―the concept of national interest, which still informs much of the literature on the EU, is logically and empirically unusable in many EU policy realms. Combining empirical investigation and theoretical analysis, this book is indispensable for scholars, students, and practitioners who study or observe Italian politics. It is also necessary for those who want to understand the transformation of European politics and the European Union's increasing development as a compound polity. Contributions by: Marco Brunazzo, Maurizio Carbone, Sabrina Cavatorto, Vincent Della Sala, Alessia Donà, Sergio Fabbrini, Paolo Foradori, Giorgio Giraudi, Renata Lizzi, Simona Piattoni, Paolo Rosa, Stefano Sacchi, Alberta M. Sbragia, Daniela Sicurelli, and Luca Verzichelli Review Italy in the European Union, coedited by Sergio Fabbrini and Simona Piattoni, is an important book and is especially noteworthy in two ways. First, the editors and authors consistently dispel the myth that Italy "punches under its weight" in the EU. Indeed, they convincingly attack the twin metaphors of "giant" versus "pygmy" as metaphorically misleading and lacking in analytical leverage. Second, their task is not so much to show that Italy is a major player as it is to shift the terms of debate to ask about the conditions under which specific actors (national, supranational, transnational) exert influence. This shift of focus implies that influence is not always or even usually best understood at the level of the member state. The editors and contributors move the discussion forward by elaborating several levels of analysis (not the conventional Waltzian ones) and substituting the pliable concept of policy preference for the blunt notion of an undifferentiated national interest. They are able to show that certain Italian policy actors, working within well-specified institutional contexts, are able to exert influence (or not) in accordance with theoretically predictable characteristics of these sectors, their institutional contexts, and the strategies and cognitive repertoires of the actors. This is an important book, for both its empirical and theoretical contributions.--James A. Caporaso, University of Washington This edited collection by Fabbrini and Piattoni provides us with an excellent contribution to the comparative politics and European studies literature. Focusing on the neglected role of Italy in Europeanization, and illustrated by case studies in areas of political economy, diplomacy and security, and social welfare, the authors assess arguments about state influence and preferences in shaping European governance. At the same time, by highlighting the heterogeneity of Italian influence in shaping European policymaking, and by illustrating how much Italian influence is constrained by larger institutional and political factors, the book provides key insights into the offensive and defensive solutions that Italy has used to shape market rules, promote valued national ideas, and foster public support for the European project.--Michelle Egan, American University A fine collection of schol