Carlo Ruzza

University of Trento, School of International Studies, Faculty Member

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Phone: +39 0461 281340
Address: School of International Studies & Dept. of Sociology
University of Trento,
Via Tommaso Gar 14,
38122 Trento, IT

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Papers by Carlo Ruzza

Sociedad civil buena, sociedad civil mala

Organised civil society and political representation in the EU arena

Europe and civil society

1. Introduction 2. The impact of movement coalitions on policy-making 3. Environmentalism 4. Anti... more

Anti-Racist Movements in the EU: Between Europeanisation and National Trajectories

Introduction: Anti-racist Movements in the European Union - between National Specificity and Euro... more Introduction: Anti-racist Movements in the European Union - between National Specificity and Europeanisation S.Fella & C.Ruzza Anti-Racism at the EU Level C.Ruzza Fighting Racism in the UK: A Multicultural Legacy and a Multi-faced Movement S.Fella & E.Bozzini The Politicisation of Immigration and Race in France: Towards a Process of Racialisation L.Mathieu The Impact Of Corporatism and Quasi-Civil Society on Anti-Racial Discrimination Law and Policy In Germany I.Solanke Pro-immigrant Associations and Anti-racism in Italy: Conflict and Co-operation in the Front Line S.Fella Fighting Denial: New Anti-racist Mobilisation in Spain M.Gomez-Reino Civil Society and Anti-discrimination Policy in a Homogeneous Country: The Case of Poland K.Wodz & M.Witkowski Conclusion: Understanding European Anti-racisms S.Fella & C.Ruzza

Chapter 4: The Populist Radical Right and Social Movements

The Lega Nord: towards electoral stability and modest success

The European Commission and Reactions to the ‘Populist Turn’ in Anti-discrimination Policy

The Impact of Populism on European Institutions and Civil Society

In recent years, the European Commission has reacted in several ways to the widespread impact of ... more In recent years, the European Commission has reacted in several ways to the widespread impact of populist formations, and their successes at EU and member states level. This chapter identifies and examines the reactions of Commissioners who have spoken publicly about this impact and notes how it challenges the European project. It also examines the reactions to populism at lower levels in the Commission’s hierarchy. It studies these reactions through a text analysis of Commission documents and argues that Commission personnel have perceived the successes of populists as a direct attack against the European project, which they generally wholeheartedly share. The chapter explores the reasons why, despite a strong commitment to ‘European Values’, the Commission has not been successful in opposing populism. It argues that this is due to two reasons. Analysis shows that the populist threat to European values is mainly defined in terms of the values of inclusion, that is, the rights of migrants and other discriminated-against groups, but migration policy is an area that is scarcely institutionalised in the EU. Therefore, populism has not fundamentally threatened the European project, but nor has it helped the EU. However, populist views on the rule of law are potentially more threatening and at the same time more promising in terms of enabling EU initiatives.

Civil Society Between Populism and Anti-populism

Nostalgia and Hope: Intersections between Politics of Culture, Welfare, and Migration in Europe

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Claiming regionalism and nationalism at the same time. How the Italian and Swiss Leagues can engage in contradictory claims and get away with it

The People and the Nation, ed. by R. Heinisch, E. Massetti, O. Mazzoleni, 2020

Anti-Racism at the EU Level

Anti-Racist Movements in the EU, 2013

At the European Union (EU) level, anti-racism is characterised by a long history of declarations ... more At the European Union (EU) level, anti-racism is characterised by a long history of declarations of principle in which its character as a transnational norm and definition as a human right has been enthusiastically supported and reiterated by a range of political actors – notably in the European Parliament (EP). However, concrete policy initiatives in this area were absent for many years (Ford 1992). This changed with the proposal and then the approval of article 13 of the EU Treaty, which emerged as the outcome of pressure exerted by a composite advocacy coalition, which included a variety of institutional actors and networks of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which like other activist networks successfully engaged in a project of institutionalisation of anti-racist norms within international institutions (Keck and Sikkink 1998). Several public interest lobbies and social movement organisations addressed the EU institutional context and had a prominent role in advocacy activities in anti-racism and related areas.While the support of non-state actors was important, without the support of EU-level institutional actors they would not have been able to achieve policy change. In addition to their moral commitment to the cause of anti-racism their impact was strongly related to the istinctive features of the process of EU construction, with its myths, its mix of policy actors and distinctive policy practices.

Inter-organisational Negotiations in Political Decision-making: Brussels’ EC Bureaucrats and the Environment

The Social Construction of Social Policy, 1996

In recent years, environmentalism has gained momentum stimulating a heightened receptiveness of e... more In recent years, environmentalism has gained momentum stimulating a heightened receptiveness of environmental themes among elected officials, and resulting in more stringent laws and regulations. Environmentalism, as an extensive concern, is now solidly embedded in the institutional realm, while it still manifests the traits of a social movement. The central EC1 political and administrative decision-making centres are crucial in this regulative process. European Institutions2 are, therefore, becoming the target of much attention from business and political actors with a direct interest in environmental issues. In this context, this paper examines which models best describe decision-making processes in the European Community.

Populism, EU Institutions and Civil Society

Highs and Lows of European Integration

The populist radical right and its discursive impact on EU-Level civil society

European Politics and Society

Populism at work: the language of the Brexiteers and the European Union

Critical Discourse Studies

Combining regionalism and nationalism: the Lega in Italy and the Lega dei Ticinesi in Switzerland

Comparative European Politics

There is a general acceptance of the thesis that contemporary Western European regionalist partie... more There is a general acceptance of the thesis that contemporary Western European regionalist parties develop strategies that aim to defend territorial interests in opposition to statewide authority. It would seem unlikely, therefore, to be able to identify a combination of regionalist claims and statewide nationalism coexisting within the strategy of a single party. This article contends, however, that the adoption of such a dual frame arises once regionalist parties perceive statewide nationalism as being less of a threat to regional interests than EU-promoted policies and politics. Secondly, it is argued that such a dual frame is likely to develop when specific facilitating conditions emerge. Focusing on this issue, the article compares two regionalist-rooted parties, the Lega Nord in Italy (recently renamed &#39;Lega&#39;) and the Lega dei Ticinesi in Switzerland. Keywords Populism · Nationalism · Regionalism · Party politics · Euroscepticism There is widespread acceptance of the opinion that regionalist parties in Western Europe develop strategies that aim to defend territorial interests against statewide authority, as the latter naturally tends to be the main polemic target of regionalist parties. A party strategy combining regionalist and national statewide claims thus seems contradictory, or unlikely to succeed. However, this dual frame might indeed occur once supranational power—particularly in the form of the EU—is targeted as a more dangerous threat to regional interests than any perceived threat at the