ABSTRACT
The present mood in Italian political science may be best described as one of measured satisfaction. Not that there is a lack of awareness of persistent shortcomings or the need-felt by practitioners in a number of countries-for new directions and paradigms. Despite this awareness, there is a recognition, as one authoritative observer put it, that ‘Italian political science has accomplished remarkable steps’ (von Beyme 1986:97) and that the road travelled in the last twenty to thirty years has been ‘very great and fruitful’ (Sartori 1986:108).
