Putting Back the Complexity into the Deliberative System: The case of Italian regional laws

This paper aims to contribute to the systemic approach to democratic theory by comparing the adoption, implementation, and impact of two regional laws promoting democratic innovations in Italy (Tuscany and Sicily) over the course of more than ten years. The study uses a subnational comparative strategy, which reduces the impact of idiosyncratic factors and helps exploring the complexity of each system. By exploring the interaction between the laws, local conditions, time, and identifying feedback loops, the paper offers a first attempt at putting back some of the complexity that is currently overlooked in the systemic literature. The case studies illustrate how the laws evolved over time, highlighting degradation and intensification trajectories. In particular, the comparison reveals two opposite natures embodied by the two laws: centripetal (Sicily), promoting a single model of democratic innovation, or centrifugal (Tuscany), pushing the constant multiplication of models. This element is understudied in the current literature of laws promoting innovations, and the paper provides a unique insight into the effects of these laws on the system. Overall, the paper showcases the untapped potential of the fruitful integration of the comparative study of subnational laws into the systemic approach to democratic theory. The study demonstrates the importance of considering local conditions and feedback loops in the analysis of democratic innovations and suggests that the centripetal or centrifugal nature of a law can significantly impact its effectiveness. The findings have important implications for policymakers and scholars interested in promoting democratic innovations and improving the functioning of participatory and deliberative systems.