Luis Moreno Fernández

Bio: Luis Moreno Fernández is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Decentralization & Flemish. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 2 citations.

Europeanization, Decentralization and Welfare Reform

Abstract: Paper presented at the International Conference: “Territorial Governance for the 21st Century”, Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Arts & Sciences, Brussels, 16-17 September 2005. Published in: J. Loughlin, John y K. Deschouwer, Kris (eds.), Territorial Governance for the 21 st Century , pp. 55-63. Bruselas: Kloninklijke Vlaamse Academie van Belgie voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten. Sept. 2005

From National to Sub-National? Exploring the Territorial Dimension of Social Assistance in Italy

Abstract: In countries that have experienced decentralisation processes, the role that central and sub-national authorities play in the governance of some social policies may vary considerably across regions. In Italy, for instance, whereas some regions (and municipalities) have been very active in financing social assistance programmes, others still overwhelmingly rely on resources directly allocated by the central government. This indicates that, in a ‘regionalised’ system, the development of a sub-national social dimension is not a territorially homogeneous phenomenon. Interestingly, cross-regional variation is mainly explained by differences in the strength of regionalist parties. The share of total social assistance spending allocated by sub-national authorities has increased significantly in those areas of the country where regionalist parties are stronger and does not seem to depend on ideological shifts on the left-right spectrum. Surprisingly, the positive effect of regional economic development on sub-national spending is not as strong as expected. On the other hand, female employment and population ageing seem to explain part of territorial divergence, the former having a positive effect and the latter a negative one on the dependent variable.

The regional politics of welfare in Italy, Spain, and Great Britain : assessing the impact of territorial and left-wing mobilisations on the development of 'sub-state' social systems

Abstract: In recent years, a number of European countries have undergone important processes of territorial reconfiguration in the administration and delivery of social services. This has produced substantial divergences in the levels and types of welfare development across regions belonging to the same country. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to talk about ‘national welfare systems’ or ‘national social models’ – although most of the mainstream welfare literature continues to do so. The aim of this study is to explore the political factors that explain cross-regional variation in the development of health care and social assistance policies in three countries that have witnessed the gradual strengthening of regions as arenas of social policy making: Italy, Spain and Great Britain. The research focus is on the effects of two political cleavages, centre-periphery and left-right, on sub-national social policy. The findings of the quantitative and qualitative analyses presented throughout this research suggest that the main driving force in the construction of sub-state welfare systems is the political mobilisation of territorial identities through the creation and electoral consolidation of regionalist parties. Indeed, such parties may use regional social policy to reinforce the sense of distinctiveness and territorial solidarity that exists in the communities they represent, thus further strengthening and legitimising their political role. Additionally, the centre-periphery cleavage may also affect relations across different organisational levels of ‘statewide’ parties and further increase the relevance of territoriality in welfare politics at the regional level. On the other hand, traditional left-right politics does not seem to play the central role that welfare theories focusing on ‘nation-states’ might lead us to expect. For left-wing parties, the regionalisation of social governance may present either an opportunity or a challenge depending on the role they play in national politics and on the characteristics of sub-national electoral competitors. Generally, mainstream centre-left parties are torn by the dilemma of maintaining uniformity and cohesion in social protection across the national territory and addressing the demands for more extensive and distinctive social services coming from specific regional communities. Jury: Stefano Bartolini (EUI, Supervisor), Davide Vampa (Candidate), Maurizio Ferrera (Universita degli Studi di Milano), Laszlo Bruszt (EUI), Jonathan Hopkin (London School of Economics and Political Science, by videolink)