Unveiling subnational social investment: a composite indicators approach

The social investment paradigm has gained traction in social policy discussions, particularly in Europe, as a strategy to improve welfare systems and economic resilience. Building on three policy functions – human capital stock, labour market flow and inclusive buffers – this strategy has been researched nationally but lacks subnational analysis. This article explores its expansion in the Lombardy region of Italy using municipal indicators and employs the adjusted Mazziotta–Pareto index to construct composite indicators of the three social investment functions. The results show an expansion of the paradigm in broader urban contexts and present a methodology that can be replicated in other regions.