Changing patterns of centre-periphery relations in Italy: Sidney Tarrow revisited

The purpose of this article is to determine how the intergovernmental pattern of integration between subnational levels of government in Italy has evolved in the 1990s and departed from the conclusions of Sidney Tarrow in the 1970s, which emphasized political entrepreneurialism and clientelism in centre–periphery relations in Italy. The decentralization of administrative responsibilities to regional governments for health care services has increased the demand for formalization of integration mechanisms between regions and communes. The traditionally central role of the latter in health care policy has been challenged by the organizational reconfiguration of traditional bases of political control, such as local health authorities. Sidney Tarrow's assumptions need to be revisited in light of the 1990s consolidation of regional welfare bureaucracies. This article argues that intergovernmental relationsbetween regions and communes are increasingly shaped by the formalization of administrative arrangements, aimed at efficient planning and policy coherence.