Selected publications
(See CV for full list)
Public links: Researchgate.net -- Academia.edu
Monographs and Edited Volumes
Back from the Brink. Countering Illiberalism in Liberal Democracies (co-editor: I. Mares), special double issue of Comparative Political Studies, n. 6, May 2026.The Historical Turn in Democratization Studies (co-editor: D. Ziblatt), special double issue of Comparative Political Studies, n. 8/9, August-September 2010.
Defending Democracy: Reactions to Extremism in Interwar Europe, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005, pages 352 (paperback 2007, kindle 2011)
[Winner, 2006 Best Book in European Politics Award of the American Political Science Association]
Unified Germany between Continuity and Renewal: Electoral and Party System in the Process of German Reunification (in Italian), Rome, Bulzoni, 1995, pages 490.
Articles and Book Chapters
"Countering Illiberalism in Liberal Democracies: Information, Legacies, Temporalities", Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 59, n. 6, May 2026, pp. 1123-1165.“Trying Perpetrators: Denazification Trials and Support for Democracy in West Germany” (with G. Pop-Eleches), Comparative Politics, Vol. 56, n. 2, January 2024, pp. 197-218. Methodological Appendix.
"Democracy and Retribution: Transitional Justice and Regime Support in Post-War West Germany" (with G. Pop-Eleches), Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 53, n. 3/4, March 2020, pp. 399-433. Methodological Appendix, Replication Materials.
"Militant Democracy and the Study of Political Tolerance", in Kirshner, Alexander, and Anthoula Malkopoulou (eds.), Militant Democracy and its Critics. Populism, Parties, Extremism, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2019, pp. 133-149.
"When Do Institutions Bite? Historical Institutionalism and the Politics of Institutional Change", Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 49, n. 8, June 2016, pp. 1095-1127.
"Critical Junctures", in Fioretos, Orfeo, Falleti, Tulia, and Adam Sheingate (eds.), Oxford Handbook of HIstorical Institutionalism, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 95-108
"Critical Junctures and Institutional Change", in Mahoney, James, and Kathleen Thelen (eds.), Advances in Comparative Historical Analysis, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2015, pp. 147-179
"The Study of Democratization and the Arab Spring" (with A. Ahmed), Middle East Law and Governance, 6, 1, 2014. pp. 1-39
"Militant Democracy. The Institutional Bases of Democratic Self-Preservation", Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 9, 2013, pp. 207-226.
“When State Responses Fail: Religion and Secessionism in India 1952-2002” (with L. D. Saez and E. de Rooij), The Journal of Politics, 74, 4, October 2012, pp. 1010-1022. Methodological Appendix, Replication Materials.
"The Historical Turn in Democratization Studies: A New Research Agenda for Europe and Beyond" (with D. Ziblatt), Comparative Political Studies, Vol. 43, n. 8/9, July-August 2010, pp. 931-968.
[Winner, 2011 Mary Parker Follett Award for the Best Article in Politics and History, awarded by the American Political Science Association, Politics and History Section]
[Winner, 2010 Best Paper in Comparative Democratization, awarded by the American Political Science Association, Comparative Democratization Section]
“Germany’s
Response to 9/11: The
Importance of Checks and Balances”, in Crenshaw,
Martha (ed.)
The
Consequences of Counterterrorist Policies in Democracies,
New York,
Russell Sage Foundation, 2010, pp. 285-334.
“The
Study of Critical Junctures: Theory, Narrative and
Counterfactuals in Historical Institutionalism”
(with R. D.
Kelemen), World
Politics, April 2007, pp.
341-369.
[Winner,
2008 Alexander George Award for the
Best Journal Article Developing and Applying Qualitative and Multiple
Methods, awarded by the American Political Science Association,
Qualitative and Multi-Methods Section]
[Winner,
2006 Sage Award for the Best Paper
Developing and Applying Qualitative Methods, awarded by the American
Political Science Association, Qualitative Methods Section]
“Defence
of Democracy against the Extreme Right in Inter-war Europe. A Past
still Present?", in Eatwell, R. and C.
Mudde,
(eds.), Western Democracies
and the New “Extremist”
Challenge, London, Routledge,
2003, pp. 83-107.
Hebrew version of “Defending Democracy: Strategies of
Reaction to
Political Extremism in Inter-War Europe”, State
and Society,
N. 1, 2003.
“Legislative
Responses to Extremism. The
‘Protection of
Democracy’ in the First Czechoslovak Republic
1920-1938”, East
European Politics and Societies,
Vol. 16, No. 3, 2002, pp. 691-734.
“The
Political Consequences
of Electoral Laws: the German
System
at Fifty”, West
European Politics, Vol. 25, No.
3, July
2002, pp. 173-204.
“Anti-system
Parties: A
Conceptual Reassessment”,
Journal
of Theoretical Politics, Vol.
14, No. 1, January 2002, pp. 9-35.
“Defending
Democracy:
Strategies of Reaction to Political
Extremism in Inter-War Europe”,
European
Journal of Political
Research, Vol. 39, No. 4, June
2001, pp. 431-460.
"Proportional
representation and first-past-the-post election in the
German electoral system" (in
Italian), Quaderni
di Scienza Politica,
Vol. 7, No. 2, August 2001, pp. 99-163.
"Redistricting in Germany: Relevant Legislation and Political
Importance" (in Italian), Nomos.
Le Attualità del Diritto,
Vol. 3, No. 2-3, May-December 1998, pp. 29-56.
Other Publications (Op-eds, professional blogs, policy briefs, newsletters, etc.)
"Le Pen's Gambit", Verfassungsblog. On Matters Constitutional, 14 July 2026. Spanish Version: "El gambito de Marine Le Pen", Agenda Publica, 20 July 2026."A Tale of Our Times", Verfassungsblog. On Matters Constitutional, 24 June 2026. Spanish Version: "Una historia de nuestro tiempo: Las razones de la caida de Kier Starmer", Agenda Publica, 25 June 2026
"Strategies and Temporalities in Resisting Backsliding", Democracy and Autocracy, APSA Newsletter of the organized section Democracy and Autocracy, 25, 3, December 2025.
"Bruno Retailleau and the Dilemmas of the Right", Agenda Publica (Madrid), 24 September 2025.
Spanish version.
"The Fifth Republic Under Strain", Verfassungsblog. On Matters Constitutional, 13 September 2025. pdf (Spanish Version: "La Quinta República bajo presión", Agenda Publica (Madrid), 15 September 2025).
"Déjà Vu. France Sets the Clock Back to 2024", Verfassungsblog. On Matters Constitutional, 6 September 2025. pdf
"Marine Le Pen: The Beginning and the end of the Rassemblement National?", Agenda Publica (Madrid), 9 April 2025 Spanish version
"France's Political Crisis after a No-Confidence Vote", Good Authority, 5 December 2024. pdf
"France, Torn Between Extremes, Faces its Worst Crisis of Governability", Agenda Publica (Madrid), 5 December 2024 (in Spanish)
"Biden, Macron, and the Time of Extraordinary Decisions", Agenda Publica (Madrid), 22 July 2024. Spanish Version.
"Democracy under Fire: The Fallout of Trump's Assassination Attempt", Agenda Publica (Madrid), 16 July 2024. Spanish version.
"French Elections: Did Macron's Gamble Pay Off?", The Loop -- ECPR Political Science Blog, 16 July 2024
"The French Fifth Republic Enters Uncharted Waters", Verfassungsblog. On Matters Constitutional, 8 July 2024. pdf Spanish version: "La V Republica Francesa entra en terreno desconocido", Agenda Publica (Madrid), 8 July 2024.
"France's Legislative Elections and the Uncertain Path to 2027", Verfassungsblog. On Matters Constitutional, 2 July 2024. pdf
"A High-Stakes Game: Macron, Le Pen, and the Future of France and the EU", Verfassungsblog. On Matters Constitutional, 10 June 2024. pdf
"Notes from the Classroom: Dissecting and Reconstructing Case Studies", Qualitative and Multi-Method Research, Vol. 21, n. 1, 2023, pp. 24-26.
"Macron's Gamble on Pension Reform", The Loop -- ECPR Political Science Blog, 27 March 2023.
Brief for the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, "The Italian Elections of 2022: What Will They Mean for the EU?", 29 September 2022. pdf
"Italian general elections:The far right sweeps to power under Giorgia Meloni", The Loop -- ECPR Political Science Blog, 29 September 2022
Op-ed "La llamada de atención de Biden", El Pais (Spain), 15 September 2022. (English version "Biden's wake-up call" here).
"Italy's odd turn to the right", The Loop – ECPR Political Science Blog, 14 September 2022.
"The Italian Elections and the Threat to European Integration", The Loop – ECPR Political Science Blog and OxPol Blog, 24 August 2022
Op-ed "France's elections weakened Macron and strengthened Le Pen", Washington Post, The Monkey Cage, 21 June 2022.
"Can Marine Le Pen win the French Presidency?", The Loop – ECPR Political Science Blog and OxPol Blog, 5 April 2022
"An increasingly Eurosceptic French electorate threatens the EU", The Loop – ECPR Political Science Blog, November 2021
Preface to Michal Kubát and Martin Mejstřík (eds.) Giovanni Sartori: Challenging Political Science, London, Rowman & Littlefield/ECPR Press, 2019, pp. vii-xi.
“Deferred
Automatic Disclosure: Ensuring Data Access and Protecting the
‘Right to First Use’” Newsletter of the International
History and Politics Organized Section, American Political Science
Association, Winter 2016, 1 (2), 8-10.