Affect and the Regulation of End-Of-Life Decisions: Hungary and Italy Compared

P10 Affect in Regulatory Governance and Policymaking chaired by: Dovilė Rimkutė & Claudio Radaelli Affect and the regulation of end-of-life decisions: Hungary and Italy compared Jonathan C Kamkhaji and Claudio M Radaelli (EUI) We compare the strategies of civil society organizations fighting for rights in the field of end-of-life decisions in Hungary and Italy. These two countries present formidable obstacles to the advancement of these rights, not just because of religious beliefs, but also because of the hostility of the incumbents towards civil and social rights. Our research question is How do these organizations mobilize affect in their campaigns, and with what outcomes? Methodologically, we process-trace the two cases over the last 25 years, with the support of semi-structured interviews in the two countries. We focus on emotional mobilization in the context of complex strategies that include other dimensions, such as the use of courts, referenda, and the exploitation of regional legislation (in Italy). In this complex strategic context, affect is present in the public mobilization of individual stories, often bringing the body to the centre of political activism and policy change. We discuss the differences between the two cases, as well as the overall impact of affect on what has been achieved in the Italian case, comparing to the more limited results in Hungary. Our findings contribute to the literature on the role of emotions in regulatory choice, and the study of civil society organizations. Research funded by the Horizon project Mores https://mores-horizon.eu