Disuguaglianze nell'accesso al welfare

The article discusses the connections between welfare state inequality with reference to the institutional asset of welfare policies Italy. In the first part the issue is tackled from a general point of aiming to show that the reduction of inequalities as basic objective the welfare state cannot be given for granted. We have countries where the core of welfare policies is devoted to the preservation inequalities generated by social origins and market: this is the case Italy. Compared to the major European countries, the performances Italian welfare policies appear particularly ineffective and largely unbalanced towards the protection of the elderly, leaving very scarce resources to the other social risks. The second part of the article is dedicated to an in depth analysis the institutional architecture of the Italian welfare system with reference both to the structure of the governance and to the rationale benefits. The laws passed in the last 15 years have favored a responsibilities from the national level to the local one, without establishing a common framework for the whole country. As a consequence, the cleavage between northern (richer) and southern (poorer) regions has deepened: this is definitely evident looking at the per-capita expenses of the municipalities or the offer of childcare services. Finally, weak foundations of the rights to social assistance has determined sort of «micro-fragmentation» of the offer and regulation of services benefits, giving room to a new expression of inequality according the major or minor welfare effort of the municipality of residence.