At just 39 years of age, Matteo Renzi became Italy’s youngest-ever prime minister in late February. Yet only months before, the then-mayor of Florence had been embroiled in a primary race for the leadership of the Italian Democratic Party. He secured victory with a convincing majority in early December 2013; Renzi won 68 percent of the popular vote, while rivals Gianni Cuperlo and Giuseppe Civati scored just 18 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
Following his December victory, Renzi quickly became frustrated with the government’s prolonged stalemate, due in part to his own party; neither the government coalition nor the prime minister, Enrico Letta, were capable of pushing through much-needed reforms. In mid-February, having lost patience, he called a meeting of the Parliamentary Party, during which he briefly thanked Letta for his leadership but also called for—really, effectively demanded—his resignation.
The dramatic events that led to this meteoric rise are nothing new for Renzi. Over the course of his relatively short political career, the former lawyer and regional counselor earned the nickname “il Rottomatore”—meaning “the bulldozer” or “the demolition man”—thanks to his reputation for taking on the establishment and pushing through political reforms. The Financial Times has dubbed him “a young man in a hurry,” but a number of commentators have questioned whether his lack of experience at the national level could undermine his ability to modernize Italian politics and kick-start economic growth.
Others, however, suggest his very willingness to shake things up is what Italy needs and that this willingness to push for reforms will be precisely the source of his success.
Download Matt Browne’s analysis here.
Matt Browne is a Senior Fellow with the Center for American Progress, a member of the Canada 2020 Advisory Board, and has been advising Matteo Renzi for the past 3 years.
Month: March 2014
Report of Client Discussions on Social Assistance Reform
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The 2013 Ontario Budget contained some initial steps for reforming social assistance. The budget also notes that the government is committed to starting “discussions with recipients, municipalities, delivery partners and others to set priorities and work through the choices required for transformation”.
As part of this initiative, the Ministry of Community and Social Services wished to hear directly from both Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program clients. Clients have a unique and highly valuable perspective on what is and is not working in the system.
Over the summer and fall months of 2013, the Public Policy Forum conducted a series of half-day discussion sessions with clients, on behalf of the Ministry—particularly regarding employment. These sessions were held in 10 cities across the province. Clients were encouraged to draw on their personal experiences to identify and propose ways to reform the system. This paper summarizes the findings from those client discussions and, in the process, provides a unique perspective on social assistance and the pathway to employment.
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