The 'southern model' of welfare in social Europe

This article tries to identify some common traits of the welfare states of Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece, with special attention to institutional and political aspects. The main traits identified are: (1) a highly fragmented and 'corporatist' income maintenance system, displaying a marked internal polarization: peaks of generosity (e.g. as regards pensions) accompanied by macroscopic gaps of protection; (2) the departure from corporatist traditions in the field of health care and the establishment (at least partially) of National Health Services based on universalistic principles; (3) a low degree of state penetration of the welfare sphere and a highly collusive mix between public and non public actors and institutions; (4) the persistence of clientelism and the formation - in some cases - of fairly elaborated 'patronage machines' for the selective distribution of cash subsidies. A number of factors are then discussed to explain these peculiarities of the Southern model. Among these, the historical weakness of the state apparatus in this area of Europe; the preminence of parties as main actors for interest articulation and aggregation; ideological polarizations and, in particular, the presence of a maximalist and divided Left. In the last section, the article addresses the severe problems which are currently confronting - in various degrees - the four southern European welfare states. Both the exogenous challenges, connected with market globalization and EMU, and the endogenous challenges (which as rapid ageing, mass unemployment, etc.) are discussed. It is concluded that the adaptation of the southern model to these challenges will be a very difficult process in the years ahead, in both social and political terms.