PACO, ISSN: 2035-6609 - Copyright © 2015 - University of Salento, SIBA: http://siba-ese.unisalento.it PArtecipazione e COnflitto * The Open Journal of Sociopolitical Studies http://siba-ese.unisalento.it/index.php/paco ISSN: 1972-7623 (print version) ISSN: 2035-6609 (electronic version) PACO, Issue 8(2) 2015: 367-391 DOI: 10.1285/i20356609v8i2p367 Published in July 15, 2015 Work licensed under a Creative Commons At- tribution-Non commercial-Share alike 3.0 Italian License RESEARCH ARTCICLE DIRECT SOCIAL ACTIONS AND ECONOMIC CRISES The relationship between forms of action and socio-economic con- text in Italy Lorenzo Bosi Scuola Normale Superiore Lorenzo Zamponi European University Institute ABSTRACT: This article analyses continuities and discontinuities across time in Italy in the use of direct so- cial actions, defined as forms of action that focus upon directly transforming some specific aspects of soci- ety by means of the very action itself, instead of claiming something from the state or other power holders. In doing this, this article offers two main illustrative hypotheses. First, that direct social actions represent a significant part of the repertoire of contention - at least in Italy - and that while they tend to ďe less ǀisiďle thaŶ pƌotest aĐtioŶs, theLJ should still Ŷot ďe oǀeƌlooked aŶd tƌeated like soŵethiŶg Ŷeǁ every time they resurface. Second, this article claims that the socio-economic context plays an im- portant role in influencing the extended use of DSAs: if the supply of these forms of action by politi- cal actors is constant across time, what changes is the demand, that in times of economic hardship tends to characterise a broader constituency. We conclude by suggesting empirical methods to verify the hy- potheses proposed, paving the way for future research on this topic. KEYWORDS: direct social action, resilience, repertoires of contention, anti-austerity protest, economic cri- ses, Italy CORRESPONDING AUTHORS: Lorenzo Bosi, email: lorenzo.bosi@sns.it; Lorenzo Zamponi,email: lo- renzo.zamponi@eui.eu