The «Localism of Rights»: A Case Study on the Fragmentation of Active Labour Market Policies in Italy

To contribute to the international debate on the adaptation processes in Mediterranean welfare systems, this article focuses on the implementation of Active Labour Market Policies at the local level for vulnerable groups in Italy. After outlining the specifics of the Italian case and illustrating how examining local welfare practices can enhance our understanding of the national welfare system, the paper presents findings from an ethnographic research conducted in Veneto between 2020 and 2022. The study demonstrates that weaknesses in the national system – such as underfunding, fragmentation and excessive bureaucracy – tend to negatively impact local implementation. These shortcomings simultaneously encourage local networks to operate bureaucratically and diminish the homogeneity of service provision, creating what we have called «localism of rights». This concept describes a system in which the discretionary power of practitioners, combined with the lack of common standards, leads to significant disparities in both the type and quality levels of services across different contexts. The paper also underscores the crucial role of local context in the translation and adaptation of policies and intervention strategies initially developed elsewhere.