The politicization of place in Italy

In electoral geographic studies, the role of the political party is frequently overlooked in favor of analyses that concentrate on the attributes of voters. This research examines the organizational evolution of the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS) in Italy, and in particular, the geographic structure and organization of the PDS. Analyses of a 500-respondent survey show how the geographic variation of party activities corresponds to electoral support, and underscore the significance of informational networks to the continued success of the Italian Left within its territorial stronghold referred to as la zona rossa, or ‘the red zone’.