Italy’s new Prime Minister is engaged in an unusual, “perfomative” form of political leadership

Italy’s youngest ever Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has embarked on a widespread programme of governmental reform since coming to power three months ago. Chris Bickerton and Carlo Invernizzi Accetti argue that Renzi’s style of leadership, which he terms ‘performative’ is more focussed on being seen as active than it is of focussed on any particular goal or set of goals, a state of affairs which points to a wider transformation transformation of the Italian political left.