Welfare state : origini, evoluzione e prospettive

Among European countries, particularly those of Southern Europe, Italy is unanimously considered as a case in point and problematic at the same time. Italy, from its origins onwards, has embarked on the path of early social protection and occupationalism. This imprinting has greatly influenced the development of the welfare state and has proved its importance in various critical junctures. During the Seventies, Italian welfare has moved in the health sector from occupationalism along the groove of universalism with the establishment of a National Health Service. At the same time, many obstacles have prevented Italy to align to the main European countries with respect to the overall provision of protection and the capability of facing problems and challenges. Also, reforms introduced and implemented in the Nineties failed to heal completely. Given this context, the article aims at providing a reconstruction of the evolution of the Italian welfare state from its origins to the present day, illustrating the challenges, and evaluating the solutions gradually implemented.