Marc Lazar
French historian and political sociologist Marc Lazar (b.1952) is a specialist on the far left and Italian politics. A professor and doctoral director at the Institute for Political Studies (IEP) in Paris, in 2009, he published L'Italie sur le fil du rasoir : Changements et continuités de l'Italie contemporaine, (Italy on a razor's edge: Change and continuity in contemporary Italy).
Updated: 4 June 2010
In power in the countries worst hit by the economic crisis – Spain, Greece and Portugal – left-wing parties have been forced to implement austerity packages that closely resemble those chosen by conservative counterparts in Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Not surprisingly, their grassroots supporters are none too pleased.