Abstract

Political parties are increasingly less representative of civic society. Currently traditional party organisations prove to be inactive and ineffective as they cannot solve the dilemma between defending local interests and pursuing more general aims. The party crisis favours the emerging of alternative forms of political representation, such as citizens' committees. These committees are ephemeral organisations which prove to be very effective in supporting political expectations (concerning both identity and interests) of local communities, therefore successfully affecting the policy-making process. Since these committees are rooted in the local culture, they embody issues which are considered politically relevant by the local population and fill the representation vacuum left by the parties. This article is based on three empirical cases, describing how the public authorities have attempted to rationalise the health network by closing down (or simply moving) a city hospital.