The “Second Chamber”: A Historical And Comparative Sketch

The article focuses on the debate triggered by the proposal of reform of the senate in Italy. The author argues that such a debate has amounted largely to a missed opportunity as the core issue has been largely overlooked. What the reform is about, is a shift from a concept of representation revolving exclusively around the political will of the nation to a representation of territorial interests. This outlook is entirely new in the Italian constitutional landscape since 1945 but it can boast a long tradition within western constitutional thought