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Social and Family Policies in Italy: Not Totally Frozen but Far from Structural Reforms
Author(s) -
Naldini Manuela,
Saraceno Chiara
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
social policy and administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.972
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1467-9515
pISSN - 0144-5596
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9515.2008.00635.x
Subject(s) - solidarity , ideology , politics , face (sociological concept) , federalism , corporate governance , inequality , political science , sociology , political economy , economics , social science , mathematics , finance , law , mathematical analysis
This article analyses the main shifts in the political and public discourse about families, children, elderly people, care needs and women‐friendly policies in Italy over the last two decades. It shows that while family and gender relationships have become an ideologically highly charged public issue, policies at the practical level have remained largely stagnant, marginal and fragmentary. At the same time, important institutional changes (such as the constitutional reform of 2001, which introduced a form of federalism) have created new problems of governance. The authors argue that in the face of inadequate policies, the recourse of individuals and families to old (family solidarity) and new (migrant labour) solutions may cause new tensions and inequalities.