Abstract
The Italian welfare state has experienced a huge reform trend in the last two decades. This has been consistent with a lengthy (and still limited) transition towards a more financially viable system of social policies; and a more effective labour market regulation. These trends have been confirmed in the last few years, when the Italian social and employment policies saw further reforms to address short- and long-term challenges.
The chapter shows the huge reform record (both before and after the recent economic crisis) has not led to paradigmatic changes: the Italian system is still heavily based on transfers, with limited social services, while active labour market policies and social investment measures in general are still of minor importance. All this confirms the Italian welfare system is still part of the Southern European model, with open questions about its future sustainability and adequacy.
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Notes
- 1.
We here refer to the projected shift towards the active social policy paradigm (see Bonoli (2013) for a precise definition of active social policy).
- 2.
Eurostat developed this analysis by considering the EU-27 member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
- 3.
In the framework of Europe 2020 strategy Eurostat introduced an indicator concerning people “at risk of poverty or social exclusion” (AROPE). This indicator is composed by three sub-indicators: (i) “people at risk of poverty” (AROP), (ii) “people severely materially deprived” (SMD), and (iii) “people living in households with very low work intensity” (LWI) (for a more detailed analysis see Agostini et al. 2013).
- 4.
The Dini reform of 1995 that introduced the defined-contribution logic in the PAYG pension system foresaw a 40 year transition period before its full implementation in 2035. The Fornero reform of 2011 cut this transition and made the new rules operative from 2012.
- 5.
Turin 1978, Ancona 1981, Catania 1983, Milan 1989.
- 6.
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Agostini, C., Natali, D. (2016). Italian Welfare Reforms: Missed Opportunities for a Paradigmatic Change?. In: Schubert, K., de Villota, P., Kuhlmann, J. (eds) Challenges to European Welfare Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07680-5_18
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