Social and Labour Market Policies

The course aims to provide the basic knowledge and conceptual tools to understand the functioning and evolution of the Italian welfare state from a comparative perspective. The course intends to shed light on reforms introduced and implemented in recent years to cope with demographic and socio-economic transformations in response to socio-economic and political-institutional challenges considering both prospects and territorial (local) dimensions. From a historical-comparative evolution of welfare systems, the primary concepts about social policies will be introduced for these purposes. Through an in-depth examination of some policy areas, it is proposed to develop students' ability to understand the most recent transformations in the welfare state. Analyzing the main political reforms - pension, health, and social assistance policies - will allow a deep analysis of the main challenges policy and decision-makers must nowadays face. The proposed framework will consider both political dynamics and the role of institutional and noninstitutional actors in the transformation process of the national welfare system. Within the analytical perspective of the "welfare mix" (or "second welfare"), the contribution of non-public stakeholders will be illustrated through the analysis of contractual and territorial corporate-based, philanthropic, and proximity welfare. Finally, the course aims to provide students with basic tools and knowledge for evaluating public policies, especially those implemented in the local area. More particularly, specific importance will be given to data production, collection, and validation processes to analyze new risks and social needs better.

At the end of the course, students will be able to describe the actual configuration and evolution of the Italian welfare system from a comparative perspective and identify concerning the policy areas considered (old age and pensions, health, social assistance, second welfare, and its local drivers), which are the main socio-demographic and economic challenges. Students are also expected to understand the main peculiarities of Italian reforms, concerning those reforms undertaken in the last two decades and in the light of the recent economic and health crisis. Furthermore, they will be able to use the acquired knowledge to frame - in a critical way - the current policy choices linked to the functioning of the Italian welfare system, even if these have not been directly addressed during the lessons. Finally, students will acquire basic notions and tools for the evaluation of public policies, in particular the social ones of territorial competence.