Abstract

The empirical research has proved the importance of pledge fulfillment in governments' life. By establishing policy goals, pledges define the relationship between governments and parties and make the former accountable to citizens. Some recent studies argued that the Italian government is moving slowly toward a model of pledge fulfillment, while legislative particularism has become less central. However, the Berlusconi IV cabinet challenged this tendency. In the article, this cabinet is examined into depth and compared to other cabinets of the Italian Second Republic and in other countries.