in a different ways. The purely institutional and ideological differences are perhaps the least important. Neither Italian nor American parties are precisely ideological, although they are un ideological in different ways. More important are the ways in which different sorts of parties reflect a different political culture.
The Italian party experience may be of particular interest to Americans because of some respects in which the Italian system has resembled the American in recent years, and the ways in which Americans responded in the 1992 election. The complaint of "gridlock" policymaking paralysis, associated with conflict between a Republican White House and a Democratic Congress became widespread in American public discussion in the last few years. The frustration with a government in which "nothing happens" is heard by the mid 1080s (Kayden and Mahe 1985: 185). This sort of frustration, now associated with "gridlock," sounds very reminiscent of long standing Italian complaints about the unresponsiveness of their political system. The American public attempted to resolve the gridlock problem in 1992 by putting all responsibility into the hands of the Democrats. The Italians have not yet trusted any party with so free a hand.
Unlike the U.S., which has essentially a two party system, Italy has a multi party system. Individual parties rise and fall from relative prominence, but there are typically half a dozen or so which are large enough, or have enough ties to coalition partners, to be "players." In particular, six parties form the so called Constitutional Arc. These were the parties involved in drafting the postwar Italian constitution (Ruscoe 1982: 50). They are the Liberal Party, the Republican Party, the Christian Democratic Party, the Social Democratic Party, the Socialist Party, and the Communist Party. By informal but powerful custom, only these parties are permitted a role in Italia...