Changes in the Eternal City: Inequalities, commons, and elections in Rome districts from 2000 to 2013

Federico Tomassi

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: In city districts in Rome, social and economic inequalities between centre and peripheral belts have been increasing over the last years, in parallel to the on-going suburban sprawl. Electoral data from 2000 to 2013 highlight sharp political polarization too. Votes for left-wing (right-wing) candidates are directly (inversely) proportional to proximity to Capitoline Hill. Left-wing coalition prevails where social centrality exists, that is in dense districts with widespread social relationships and many public or collective places. Conversely, right-wing parties prevail in far-off sprawled areas, with less opportunities to meet each other, where production and consumption of relational goods are less likely. Since such goods – according to scholars of civil economics – foster individual well-being and local development, they also affect political choices, challenging the so-called traditional ‘red belt’ in working-class districts until the 1980s.

Keywords: City planning; commons; elections; Italy; relational goods; social capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H41 R14 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-05-30
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cdm, nep-pol, nep-soc and nep-ure
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