Sciovinismo locale. Profili discriminatori nelle politiche di accesso degli immigrati al welfare territoriale = Local chauvinism. discriminatory patterns in immigrants’ access to subnational welfare

This paper addresses the issue of welfare chauvinism by shifting the analysis from the national to the subnational level, a crucial yet less visible sphere for the provision of social rights. It examines how regional and municipal administrations have leveraged their institutional autonomy to implement discriminatory policies, which were successively removed thanks to the strategic and pro bono advocacy of ASGI. After outlining the research design that guided the selection of 32 case studies, the article identifies five types of direct and indirect bureaucratic criteria of exclusion, explaining how chauvinism has become increasingly subtle and sophisticated. This study also examines the real and rhetorical function of bans, which are used to communicate the political idea of defending local welfare from immigrants. This sentiment is further demonstrated through an analysis of how subnational administrations attempt, in various ways, to contest, circumvent, or even resist court decisions. The article concludes with a broader reflection, discussing the sense of anti-discrimination advocacy and the paradox emerging between the economic demand for immigrant workers and their social exclusion at the local level.