Local Welfare Systems University of Milano-Bicocca EF 1 Survey Paper Vienna, May 11 th 2009 Alberta Andreotti, Enzo Mingione, Emanuele Polizzi

Survey paper presentation Local Welfare System (LWS) “ Dynamic processes in which the specific local social and cultural contexts give rise to diversified mixes of actors underlying the strategies for implementing social policies” (Mingione Oberti 2003). Processes favouring the emergence of LWS Complex articulation of actors Streams of research Topics to develop

The emergence of LWS Post-industrial economy  Global competition among local contexts  Labour market transformation (service economy, male breadwinner model decline, employment fragmentation and flexibilization, etc) Differentiation of lives and needs  Demographic change (ageing of the population, decreasing of birth rates, divorce rates, etc)  Destandardization/Individualization of life courses Subsidiarization of policies  Fiscal crisis of national welfare states  EU pressure on states to shift functions on regional and local administrations: programs to fight social exclusion and to promote social cohesion at the local level  Formal and informal subsidiarization Importance of national traditions and regulatory frameworks

Complex interweaving of actors New categories to analyze welfare systems Multiplication and articulation of actors, both at the vertical and at the horizontal level  Vertical level: interactions among the different scales of regulation (EU, States, Local institutions)  Horizontal level: diversification of local actors (cooperatives, religious and non religious charities organizations, social movements, business actors, etc…), according to the different local contexts  New interweavi ng of actors and actions, looser distinction between public, private and non profit action What is the role of LWS on social cohesion?  Social cohesion as a social context in which individuals in which people in more vulnerable situations are supported both by material help and social relationships

Research streams on LWS First stream: Rescaling of welfare states  Autonomy of LWS form national traditions and path dependency, Role of national and European public regulatory frames Connection with social cohesion:  The role of public national and local institution in guaranteeing citizen’s inclusion; Preventing the fragmentation of social protection Second stream: Governance and participation  Effective role of civil society actor in governance arenas; Capacity and opportunities to participate in governance arenas Connection with social cohesion:  Enhancing coordination among civil society actors; Preventing the lack of accountability Third stream: New policy instruments  Individualization of services (vouchers, case management etc.), Empowerment or weakening of recipients Connection with social cohesion:  Citizen’s effective empowerment; Weakening of vulnerable subjects' negotiation ability

Open questions and challenges Opportunities and risks of LWS: need of empirical research. Supply side and demand side Effects of different local welfare regulation regimes on LWS actors.  Which role for: public authorities, providers, advocacy groups, citizens?  After the crisis, a new role for central states? Accessibility to social services: freedom of choice and equality  Differences among social classes  Differences among local contexts Accountability of services and procedures  Top-down controls  Bottom up accountability Interaction between new patterns of family and the local welfare system  Re-familisation process?  Effects of economic crisis on familiar patterns