Suchergebnisse

This article explores the poverty phenomenon and anti-poverty policies in Italy, before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to contribute to the mainstream literature on policy change, looking at how the convergence of multiple streams (problem, policy, and political) contributed to achieving the adoption of the Italian Minimum Income scheme, the Citizenship Income. Despite increasing political and public awareness of poverty, the 2022 Budget Law failed to achieve a structural reform—considering amendments proposed by the Ministry of Social Policy's Commission and the Italian Anti-Poverty Network—to improve both the equity and efficiency of the anti-poverty measure. Strong path dependency in the conceptualization and implementation of the anti-poverty tool is still evident; policy change thus has a long way to go.

Regions are likely to face health care and aging problems (as well as other socioeconomic challenges) by adopting different measures and strategies that may lead to further differentiation in health care provision in the long run. In the short term, the essential levels of assistance/care (livelli essenziali di assistenza [LEA]) assessment grid shows how regional performance in three areas of the health care sector (prevention, community health services, and hospital assistance) proceed at different speeds. Contrary to expectations, the north-south divide is not the only territorial divide that exists. Strong differences exist even among regions in the north-east, north-west, and center of Italy. The results depict a four-speed ranking in LEA performance.

The increase in ageing societies is posing new and urgent societal and political challenges to meeting people's medical, personal, and social needs in old age. Ageing should not be considered a uniform phase of life and at least three phases should be distinguished: (a) silver age, (b) the mildly frail age, and (c) those at risk of dependency. Policy tools and logics should prevent and support specific needs in a life‐course approach and the preventive approach is seen as among the most useful interventions, with a baseline objective to promote ageing in place, minimize the institutionalization of care, and prevent psychophysical deterioration by supporting older people and their families through tailor‐made approaches and policies. Our study focuses on the project Invecchiare bene/Bien vieillir (ageing well) funded by Interreg Alcotra France-Italy and implemented in the Valleys of Monviso in northern Italy. The project targets older people living at home in mountainous areas, where healthy ageing is difficult due to chronic diseases and social isolation. This article presents an analysis of preventive‐based interventions and services that promote innovative ageing policies and investigates the involvement of the local community and how it can lead to the deployment of new preventive measures. The research covers the direct impact on the health and living conditions of the recipients (older people) and innovation by the local care model (among social workers and the local community). Qualitative (documentary analysis, semi‐structured interviews, and focus groups) as well as quantitative (questionnaire and secondary data analysis) methods were used.