Political History

The political history unit researches on different topics of contemporary history with an interdisciplinary approach. In particular we focus on:

• History and Policy. The aim is to research on public policy through a greater understanding of history. Policy history is inspired by the belief that history can and should improve public policy making, helping to avoid reinventing the wheel and repeating past mistakes. Knowledge of the past can provide essential background information to help those grappling with complex policy issues today, understand the context in which previous decisions were made, and provide the tools to assess evidence and evaluate a range of policy options.
  

• History of European Democracy. The aim is to reconstruct the History of European democracy from the end of the Second World War until the outbreak of the current economic crisis. The research unit analyzes the several challenges European countries have faced placing them in the international scenario in which they were embedded, both the Cold War and the Post Wall era.

• History of Communication. The aim is to investigate the relationship among communication, politics and society in contemporary history. Communication is becoming increasingly important in the current debate and an in-depth analysis of the media system’s historical development is crucial to address present and future challenges.

• History of Political Parties. The aim is to research on the evolution of the structure, ideologies and debate within political parties in Italy and Europe in the twentieth century. The historical research aims to realize an in-depth understanding of contemporary politics.