Local Welfare and the Organization of Social Services: Local Area Planning in the Lombardy Region (SpringerBriefs in Economics)

This book discusses local area planning in the Lombardy region of Italy. The book provides valuable insights about the development of local welfare systems and the territorial organization of social services through the analysis of the evolution of the Local Area Plan, which lies at the intersection of sub regional governance and of social services delivery models. Using Lombardy as a case study, this brief analyzes the structural conditions influencing the establishment of Local Area Plans, their effect on inter-municipal cooperation, and the need for possible reforms. The book is organized as follows: the first chapter presents a reconstruction of the national and regional framework, analyzing the structure of ties and opportunities within which Local Area Plans are called to act. The second chapter provides a review of the extant literature on Local Area Plans and introduces the theoretical framework used by the volume. The third chapter details legislation introduced in Lombardy to reform the governance structure of Local Area Plans by supporting a process of reorganization and aggregation. The fourth chapter presents some cases of Local Area Plan aggregation. The final chapter presents the conclusion and some brief considerations about the future of social planning. Providing an empirical analysis of local service delivery, this book will be useful to scholars and practitioners interested in public administration, welfare, local government, non-profit and public organizations, and management. Contents Chapter 1: Introduction References Chapter 2: The Structuration of the Italian Welfare System: From Fragmentation to Innovation 2.1 Introduction 2.2 The Evolution of the Italian System of Social Assistance 2.3 Law No. 328/2000. An Incomplete Innovation in Social Assistance 2.4 The Path Towards Law No. 3/2008: The Organisation of the Lombardy Region’s Welfare Model 2.5 The Structure of the RL’s Local Welfare. Ideational Bases, Tasks and Instruments of the Law No. 3/2008 2.6 Territorialisation. Conceptualising the Governance of Local Welfare 2.7 The Impact of the Regional Law No. 23/2015 on the RL’s Welfare: Ideational and Organisational Changes 2.8 The New Organisational Model. Welfare Territorialisation and Regional Decrees for Social Planning References Chapter 3: A (Possible) Answer to Fragmentation in Social Assistance Policy. The Local Area Plan 3.1 Introduction 3.2 The Local Area Plan as a New Organisational Instrument 3.3 Different Approaches to the Study of Local Area Plan. A Proposal for a Theoretical Framework 3.4 Which Framework for the Analysis? 3.4.1 Structure 3.4.2 Process 3.4.3 Actors 3.4.4 Barriers to Local Governance Change References Chapter 4: Redesigning Territorialisation to Improve Planning and Management Capabilities in Social Policy. Change or Business as Usual? 4.1 The Guidelines for Change 4.2 The Process of Change 4.3 From Where We Were Taking Off 4.4 Regional Decree No. 7631/2017: A Change of Pace for Zonal Planning 4.4.1 First Step: Reach the Optimal Size for the New District Area 4.4.2 Second Step: Strategic Goals and Social Planning. A Matter of Compliance or a Boost for Innovation? A Quantitative Point of View 4.4.3 A Qualitative Point of View and Conclusions References Chapter 5: The Difficult Path Towards Change 5.1 Explaining the Cases of Local Area Plan Reorganisational Success 5.2 Case Studies: The Troubled Application of the Decree No. 7631/2017 5.2.1 Local Area Plans of the Lomellina: Vigevano-Garlasco-Mortara 5.2.2 Local Area Plans Visconteo Sud 5.2.3 Local Area Plans Broni-Casteggio 5.2.4 Local Area Plan Alto Milanese 5.2.5 Local Area Plans Alto e Basso Pavese 5.3 Insights Regarding the Process of Local Governance Reorganisation. What Have We Learnt About the Realisation of a Successful Path? References Chapter 6: The Road towards the New Planning Phase (2021–2023) – Challenges and Opportunities 6.1 A Complex Picture 6.2 Some Challenges and Critical Aspects 6.3 Some Opportunities and Final Reflections References Index