Abstract
This paper analyzes the problem of political corruption in Italy and the role public prosecutors have played in unraveling such a phenomenon. The factors that have contributed to fostering systemic corruption as well as those that have contributed to “uncovering” such a system are given careful consideration. The most relevant conclusion is that whereas endogenous forces in the judiciary (prosecutors and judges) — in particular, its low level of institutional autonomy — have prevented it from containing corruption, exogenous forces — which have broken the conditions that had favoured the stability of the so-called “first” Republic — have led prosecutors to engage in massive investigations.
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This article is a revised version of the paper prepared for delivery at the 1994 Workshop on “Corruption and Politics” held at the Instituto Internacional de Sociologia Juridica, Onati (Spain), July 13–14, 1994. I am appreciative to Prof. Giuseppe Di Federico (University of Bologna) for his deep insights of this complex matter and for his very useful comments.
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Alberti, A. Political corruption and the role of public prosecutors in Italy. Crime Law Soc Change 24, 273–292 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01298351
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01298351