Early Childhood Education and Care and Social Innovation in Venice, Italy: The Role of Regulation and Resources

This chapter analyses social innovation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in Venice. The city of Venice has traditionally had a relatively high level of public expenditure on ECEC (compared to the rest of its region), with only a limited number of ECEC services being provided by private suppliers. In the wake of privatisation and innovative social policies, local public authorities have pushed social innovation, fostering public–private partnerships as well as service flexibilisation and expansion, while attempting to contain costs. This article presents two case studies of ECEC innovation, which show how the history of ECEC in Venice, the local and regional regulation of the services and the level of available public resources have structured social innovation experiences and have limited their institutionalisation and expansion.