A year of transition for social security and welfare policies in Italy

Bibliographic Data

ID15735337
AuthorsEmmanuele Pavolini (0000-0002-3308-1551, University of Macerata, corresponding author), Chiara Saraceno (0000-0001-7392-2127, Collegio Carlo Alberto)
Year2022
Volume14
Issue2
Pages260-274
Publication date2022-04-03
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueContemporary Italian Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2324-8823 • E-ISSN: 2324-8831
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/23248823.2022.2064129
OpenAlexW4223576483
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited6

The key question addressed by this article is whether the pandemic might represent one of those ‘critical conjunctures’ capable of altering the direction of development of the Italian welfare state. Having reviewed the main explanations found in the literature for the difficulties in modernizing the Italian welfare state, we provide an answer by analysing what happened in 2021 in three policy areas: that concerning families with children, and early childhood education and care (ECEC); that concerning the support of dependent old people, and that concerning minimum income policies, looking at the role played by party competition as well as by civil society. We find that while in the field of family policy and ECEC there has been a clear shift towards greater investment, in the area of care for dependent old people, developments have been more hesitant and more ambivalent. With regard to minimum income provision, political conflict has for the time being impeded any attempt at reform. The answer to the research question therefore is only partially positive

Ambivalence · Economic growth · Economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science · Welfare · Welfare reform · Welfare state · Employment and Welfare Studies · Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism · Law · Psychology · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Social Psychology

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