On micro-fascism e m p t y de mocr ac y We have long since ceased to live in a political regime Italian economist, worked that can be defined as purely democratic: at the Italian Antitrust this is proved by the way citizens elect their Authority from March 1993 to July 2010. He has representatives and monitor their work. been Professor of EcoNowadays citizens are denied the chance to nomic and Financial Politics. His practice looked lead the process through which decisions at problems of monetary become relevant for the community. In theory and the history of economic thought, as some extreme cases, such as the Italian well as economic politics. one, citizens are also deprived of the power He is the author of the books L’Antieuropa delle to choose their own representatives: this monete (with A. Fumaoption has a unique political value and galli, Il Manifesto 1993) and Saldi di fine secolo. should be the hallmark of any representative Le privatizzazioni in Itademocracy. Paradoxically, in most cases lia (Ediesse, 1998). Most recently, he published Il this power seems to be guaranteed, and yet mercato oltre le ideologie the real power is constantly transferred (Università Bocconi Editore, 2006), Le stagioni to other institutions: the citizen can only dell'antitrust (with Andrea participate in fake democratic elections. Pezzoli,Università Bocconi Editore 2010) and This ‘carnivalesque’ celebration lasts Trattatello sulla felicità four or five years, during which it is (LUISS University Press, 2013). Between 1964 and made impossible to control the objectives 1966, he worked with the pursued by the elected representatives and left workers group on the magazine Classe Operthe ways these objectives are achieved. aia which was founded No democratic regime has ever allowed by Mario Tronti, Massimo Cacciari and Alberto Asor a real 'people's power' probably – except Rosa. During the sevenduring its initial phase. However, it is ties, he was one of the editors of militant prolikely that during certain periods, which ject, such as Primo Magvary from country to country, the elected gio among others. representatives mediate popular objectives See the middle section for and are able to turn those objectives into all the questions. effective policies. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case in any of the countries that we still call democracies.
Lapo Berti,
t h e r et u r n of t h e e l i t e For a long time – and not only in Italy – governments’ power has been constantly appropriated by elites, whose significance is determined by their dominant role in the economic, political and social sectors. These groups – which are generally interconnected and which usually exchange favours to maintain their position of power – form an oligarchy based on
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Lapo Berti