The Italian Policy Response to COVID-19: Did Political Leadership Matter?

Italy is among the countries most heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence, a debate has arisen in both academic and non-academic circles as to whether national governmental institutions have been able to adequately face the huge epidemiological challenge. In addition, between the second and the third waves, the country was affected by a political crisis that led to a change of the prime minister and governing coalition, thus posing questions of whether the ability to adopt effective policies also depended on leadership abilities. In this chapter, we first illustrate the national strategy that was deployed by Italy to fight against the virus. Second, we turn to the characterizing features of the policy processes and decision-making sequences activated during the pandemic. Third, we linger on some of the main effects of the adopted policies, with particular regard to restrictions, vaccinations, and economic measures. Fourth, in light of these data, we provide an assessment of the role of leadership throughout the examined timeframe (January 2020–October 2021). We conclude that leadership has been a crucial factor in determining the Italian policy-making dynamics, and discuss some implications of the individualization of politics in the Italian context.