Primaries Italian-style: A tale of success?

1. We will first offer a wide exploration of the primaries held so far, putting some emphasis on the most important ones. 2. Second we will explain why and how first the Left Democrats, then above all the new Partito Democratico have decided to resort to the primaries in order to select their candidates to "monocratic" offices. 3. Finally, we will assess the pros and cons of the primaries Italian-style and discuss the criticisms and the suggestions on how to improve them. We will conclude with some general remarks concerning the life of the parties and the future of Italian democracy.