Still the century of (rural) corporatism? Trends in Italian marginal areas

The paper addresses the issue of political representation of peripheral rural areas through a historical-ideological interpretation: corporatism. The socio-economic and demographic weakness of these areas has always made the representation both of municipalities and of the political parties problematic. In fact, the critical mass for local mobilization is lacking. At the same time, these areas, precisely because of their systemic fragility, are invested in by many development projects that end up ‘representing’ the local community outside in a completely original way. From this, there is a heightened focus on participation, co-planning, and centre-periphery relations, all of which are ingredients of modern local development.