Institutionalization, Leadership and Policy Style: a France/Italy Comparison of Data Protection Authorities

This article investigates the extent of institutionalization of Data Protection Authorities and the evolution of the regulative policy style by comparing the implementation of the European Data Protection Directive 46/1995/CE in two countries, France and Italy. The analytical framework of the empirical research is based on the institutionalization approach and on the policy style approach (section one). It also analyses (section two and three) the origins and the changes of the French data protection Authorities (CNIL) and of the Italian Authority (The Garante). Section four compares the quantitative and quality evolution of the regulative activities of the two institutions and (section five) analyses the transformations of the data protection policy style by referring to the crucial role played by the institutional leadership in two different national contexts.