Italian PArties Digitalization – IPAD

Local Unit Coordinator, University of Bologna: Paola Bordandini

IPAD (Italian PArties Digitalization) project deals with digitalization among Italian political parties. The spread of digital media such as blogs, social media platforms, mobile apps, and interactive websites has stimulated both the emergence of the so-called digital party, Movimento 5 Stelle, and the gradual digitalization of the traditional mainstream parties. Bringing together the scholarly literature on political communication and political parties, this project aims to fill an important gap in the literature by integrating the digital dimension into the analysis of party organizations. By analyzing data at national and subnational levels, this project aims to provide a detailed understanding of the impact that digitalization has had on parties’ structure and functions so far. More specifically, the five main Italian parties are observed: Forza Italia, Fratelli d’Italia, Lega, Movimento 5 Stelle, and Partito Democratico.

Through a systematic and comparative analysis of the extent to which new technologies have affected party organizations, IPAD aims to provide an accurate, empirical, and grounded understanding of the impacts of digital environments on political parties’ structures and operations. The target is to answer one broad question: Does the digitalization process revamp participation through more open and democratic intraparty processes, thus restoring the fragile and even crumbling relationships between parties and society, or does it produce a top-down, plebiscitary dynamic leading to more atomization and apathy rather than collective mobilization?

Within the broader framework of IPAD, the research unity of the University of Bologna (scientific coordinator prof. Paola Bordandini) focuses on the role of digitalization in shaping specific party organization attributes. In particular, the research unity will focus on the following issues:

• the role of digital tools in shaping the relationship between national and local party offices
• the role of digital tools in shaping the relationship between elected representatives, middle-level elites, and party members
• the role of digital tools in shaping the relationship between subnational party organizations and local supporters
• the role of digital tools within party youth organizations (membership activities, online discussion, and recruitment)

We address these issues employing both quantitative and qualitative methods, and by collecting different sources of quantitative and qualitative data.

Members of the Department

Luca Pinto

Anna Napoletano 

Giulio Bricoli 

Piero Ignazi

Other members 

Convegni/Conferenze legate al progetto:

IPAD (Italian PArties Digitalization – IPAD): Workshop, Napoli 19 gennaio 2024

IPAD (Italian PArties Digitalization – IPAD): Workshop, Torino 24 maggio 2024

WAPOR (World Association for Public Opinion): Annual Conference, Seul 28-31 luglio 2024

Italian Political Science Association (SISP): Annual Conference, Trieste 12-14 September 2024 (meeting del gruppo di ricerca)

IPAD (Italian PArties Digitalization – IPAD): Workshop, Bologna 13 febbraio 2025