Institutional Overshooting in Italian Urban Politics

The introduction of direct mayoral elections in Italy altered the balance of power between political parties and their local candidates. Previously powerless mayors suddenly began to challenge the centre. However, they ultimately overestimated the extent of their newfound autonomy. The paper presents macro- and micro-level analysis of the 'mayors' movement' that emerged, tracing the effects of the 'institutional overshooting' and the readjustment to party power. Both aggregate accounts and individual career paths show a resulting equilibrium, in which personalism has increased, but in less radical ways than believed in the period after the reform.