Matteo Renzi
Il Rottamatore
The scrapper of the old guard.
Heterodox Third-Way LabouriteOne of 729 ideologies · enter the Third-Way Labourite hall →- Role
- Prime Minister
- Era
- b. 1975
- Region
- Italy
- Social band
- Heterodox
- Placement
- +10 · +24 · +30
§ Where Matteo Renzi stands
3 axesRenzi pursued supply-side modernisation within the European market economy. His Jobs Act of 2014–15 eased dismissal rules for new hires under a contract whose protections grow over time, weakening the Article 18 safeguards long defended by the unions, and his governments cut taxes on employment. He paired this with an 80-euro monthly tax bonus for low and middle earners, which keeps him just right of centre.
Renzi was an energetic centraliser who wanted faster, more decisive government. The Italicum electoral law of 2015 gave a majority bonus to the winning list, and his constitutional reform would have stripped the Senate of most of its powers and pulled authority back from the regions to Rome, until voters rejected it in the December 2016 referendum.
Renzi is a progressive moderniser from a Catholic background. His government passed the 2016 law creating civil unions for same-sex couples, securing it with confidence votes after a clause on stepchild adoption was dropped, and his Buona Scuola reform of 2015 sought to modernise state schools. He built his appeal on an attack on an ageing, entrenched political class.
How close are you to Matteo Renzi?
Three statements, one per axis. Answer them and we’ll drop you on the compass next to them.
§ The story
LivingMatteo Renzi (b. 1975) was prime minister of Italy from February 2014 to December 2016, the youngest in the country's history when he took office at 39. Born in Florence and trained in law, he was president of the Province of Florence from 2004 and mayor of Florence from 2009, and won national attention by demanding the 'scrapping' of his party's old guard, which earned him the nickname il Rottamatore. He won the Democratic Party leadership in 2013 and replaced Enrico Letta as premier the following year.
Renzi brought Blair-style modernisation to the Italian centre-left. After the Democratic Party won 40.8 per cent in the 2014 European elections, his government passed the Jobs Act, a school reform, a new electoral law and civil unions. He staked his premiership on a constitutional reform to curb the Senate and resigned when voters rejected it by about 59 to 41 per cent in December 2016. After the party's heavy defeat in 2018 he quit as leader, left the Democrats in 2019 to found Italia Viva, and in 2021 brought down Giuseppe Conte's second government.
Notable for
- 01Jobs Act labour reform
- 02Civil-unions law
- 03Constitutional-reform referendum
Key works & moments
- 2009Elected mayor of Florence.
- 2014Becomes Italy's youngest prime minister; his Democrats win 40.8 per cent in the European elections.
- 2014–15The Jobs Act loosens dismissal rules and introduces contracts with protections growing over time.
- 2016Passes a civil-unions law, then resigns after losing the constitutional referendum.
- 2019Leaves the Democratic Party to found Italia Viva.
- 2021Withdraws Italia Viva from government, bringing down Giuseppe Conte's coalition.
§ Minds closest to Matteo Renzi
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§ Also in the Third-Way Labourite hall
Enter the hall →§ Common questions
4 answersWhat is Matteo Renzi's political ideology?
Matteo Renzi is a centrist, Blair-inspired moderniser of the Italian centre-left: on the 99ideologies three-axis compass, a Heterodox Third-Way Labourite. Economically he sits just right of centre (+10), liberalising the labour market and cutting taxes on work while adding tax bonuses for lower earners. On governance he leans towards decisive, centralised executive power (+24), seen in his electoral and constitutional reforms, and socially he is progressive (+30), having legalised civil unions for same-sex couples.
Is Matteo Renzi left-wing or right-wing?
Centre-left by origin, centrist in practice. Renzi led Italy's main left-of-centre party and passed civil unions, but his labour reforms angered the unions and the party's left wing, several of whose leaders split away in 2017 to form a new party of the left. His later party, Italia Viva, positioned itself in the liberal centre, which leaves him closer to the Third Way than to traditional social democracy.
Why did Matteo Renzi resign in 2016?
Because he had staked his premiership on a constitutional referendum and lost. His reform would have turned the Senate into a smaller chamber of regional representatives without the power to bring down governments, and shifted powers from the regions back to Rome. Opponents across the spectrum, from the Five Star Movement and the Northern League to part of his own party, campaigned against it, and on 4 December 2016 about 59 per cent voted no. Renzi resigned and Paolo Gentiloni succeeded him as prime minister.
Which minds are closest to Matteo Renzi?
On the 99ideologies three-axis compass, the minds closest to Matteo Renzi are Gerhard Schröder (99% alike), Josiah Bartlet's centrists (archetype) (98% alike) and Paul Keating (98% alike). The furthest is Hans-Hermann Hoppe (33% alike).