Super Mario 2: comparing the technocrat-led Monti and Draghi governments in Italy

Abstract

This article aims to offer some analytical tools for putting the newly formed Draghi government in perspective. As Mario Draghi is in many ways the technocrat par excellence, this article provides a comparison of his cabinet with the technocratic Monti government of 2011–2013. We list the similarities and differences between the two cabinets, highlighting that they are both technocrat-led but that the difference in their policy-mandates triggers substantially different levels of party-involvement, and possibly also of long-term responsiveness to public opinion. Interestingly, both cabinets began life enjoying high levels of popularity. In the case of Monti, popularity dropped soon after the presentation of the first austerity package. In the case of Draghi, there is no austerity on the near horizon, and there are the conditions for popularity to remain high. These conditions are strengthened by a policy environment which is today more favourable to expansive budgetary policies. The duration of Draghi’s popularity is, however, contingent on a number of unpredictable factors, the most important of which is the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.