As a concept, fraternity, the most obscure of the three words in the French revolutionary motto, has been sidelined for some considerable time, but today, the notion of solidarity that it represents is one that is giving many of us food for thought. At a time when we have reached a historical and cultural crossroads marked by an obvious global economic crisis that many believe has triggered the huge identity crisis that western society is currently experiencing, it is also providing the rationale behind some very real political proposals aimed at resolving the situation.
Faced with the obvious failures brought about by the same widespread economic ideology, there is a need that is greater than ever to encourage political initiatives that unite different members of the public and private sectors in the battle to reduce and avert poverty (absolute and relative) and the difficulties, (not only of an economic nature) faced by the weakest and less protected members of society. The declared objective is “to identify social needs before they become a social emergency”.
The first step that must be taken is to obtain an overview of this present reality that is as accurate as possible. Who are the poor people that have the right to receive help and benefits and how many of them are there? How can they be reached? The indicators of financial circumstances currently in use could be improved – there is much debate, for example, about the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the ISEE (equivalent financial situation indicator) system – but other similar mechanisms would not, in any event, be sufficient to throw light on those poverty stricken areas that manage to slip through the net cast by the public institutions and which continue, therefore, to live in the shadows.
The hope is that the network of territorial subsidies, which in Italy is supported by local communities, numerous non-profit organizations as well as dioceses and various other religious and lay institutes, will be strengthened. It has also been suggested that qualified scientific consultants be assigned the job of sifting through data gathered by empirical means, elaborating and synthesizing it in order to design public policies that are able to meet the ever-changing primary and secondary needs of the community.
If the hoped-for renewal of the welfare system goes ahead, the role of the state becomes a moot point. There are those who maintain that Italy’s welfare system is fine just as it is, based on an efficient combination of public and private sector contributions together with those made by the so-called “third” sector that comprises INPS (the National Institute of Social Insurance), disability benefits, the Church, voluntary associations, charitable foundations and the like. As such, they support the idea of reforms that designate the state as the strategic co-coordinator of all initiatives led by other parties and not just the dispenser of public resources. The measures being debated include: financial contributions such as the Social Card, tax breaks that guarantee a minimum level of subsistence to those most in need, locally-based social and health services, a multi-pronged response to those unable to live independently, streamlining bureaucracy and, tax breaks that will benefit the non-profit sector.
There are however also those who believe that the Italian welfare system is mostly obsolete, modeled as it is on the old Ford factory set up, that the adult male is its main focus, that paying for it places an unfair burden on families and that it has a detrimental effect on the birthrate – which is lower in Italy than anywhere else in Europe. Bearing in mind that “the capacity to create a welfare system that facilitates an increase in the birth rate is entirely in the hands of the legislature”- as proven in France – policies are favored that give families a massive injection of support, especially when it comes to women wanting to combine work and motherhood, and which, ultimately, will also favor equal opportunities including, obviously, the opportunity to access education, training and jobs (for the four million foreigners now living in Italy too).