A new Technocratic Politics. Hypotheses on the Far-Right, Big Tech and new forms of legitimation

Journal title PRISMA Economia - Società - Lavoro
Author/s Francesco Antonelli
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2026/1
Language Italian Pages 14 P. 76-89 File size 116 KB
DOI 10.3280/PRI2026-001006
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Recent debates on the transformation of Western democracies have focused either on the crisis of technocracy or on the rise of populism and the radical right. This article offers an alternative interpretation by introducing the concept of technocratic politics, understood not as government by experts but as a historical configuration of the relationships among politics, economy, technology and expertise. Building on the analysis of the relationship between the radical right and emerging technological elites, the article argues that the crisis of globalization does not mark the end of technocratic politics but rather the emergence of a second historical configuration. In this new phase, both the composition of elites and the sources of their legitimacy are transformed. Hybrid elites increasingly combine economic, technological and political power, while legitimacy shifts from certified expertise toward demonstrated capacity for innovation. The article concludes by proposing an interpretative framework for analysing the changing relationship between power, technology and democracy in contemporary societies.

Keywords: Technocratic politics; technocracy; radical right; Big Tech; hybrid elites.

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Francesco Antonelli, Una nuova politica tecnocratica. Ipotesi su destre radicali, Big Tech e nuove forme di legittimazione in "PRISMA Economia - Società - Lavoro" 1/2026, pp 76-89, DOI: 10.3280/PRI2026-001006