Exploring Autonomism: Asymmetry and New Developments in Italian Regionalism.

This article proposes a theoretical framework for the study of the political and, above all, institutional dimensions of autonomism. In doing so, it points out the differences between autonomism and regionalism, the former being a variety of the latter, and between autonomism and federalism, with which autonomism shares some features. With this in view, the article offers a closer analysis of the forms and logics of the de jure asymmetry that characterises autonomism as an institutional arrangement. Autonomism is then used to interpret the historical evolution and recent development of Italian regionalism. The launch of differentiated regionalism in Italy constitutes an autonomist turning point, following the abandonment of federalism as a path towards institutional reform. Autonomism, unlike federalism, starts with the recognition of regional diversity, and is characterised by an open and very asymmetric distribution of power, as well as bilateral relations between individual regions and the State. The article concludes by reflecting on the innovative potential and critical aspects of an autonomist renewal of Italian regionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]