Cohort: POLS 38°
Topic of the thesis: Against the odds: Policy change and the Companion Allowance in Italy. A longitudinal analysis of Italian long-term politics in a multidimensional space.

Abstract: Long-term care policies gained ground in the European Union arena in recent decades. With aging projections, the need for the long-term care sector is expected to rise. Living longer does not mean living better. Aging is usually associated with low mobility, dementia, loneliness, and social exclusion; thus, requiring professional support. This research proposal concerns Italian long-term care politics in a multidimensional space, as retrieved from social investment academic literature. The research object of analysis is the reform proposals to the Companion Allowance. It is a cash for care—unconditional and universalistic—long-term care measure, aimed at supporting non-self-sufficient people and their caregivers. It represents the main pillar of the long-term care sector in Italy. This case study is an uniquum in the European scenario. The research intends to study actors' positions (private, public, national, and sub-national) on reform issues, to trace conflict and cooperation lines on specific analytical dimensions to understand how—and to what extent—a policy change may be achieved by 2023, as fixed by the National Recovery and Resiliency Plan. The longitudinal analysis (1997–2023) relies on a multi, mixed-method, and inductive methodology. The use of process tracing, qualitative text analysis, and semi-structured interviews—via quantitative and qualitative analysis—contributes to designing a causal model to grasp the analytical factors which would explain causal links and interconnections among dependent and independent variables.

Research interests: Welfare state; social policy; long-term care; policy change; multidimensional politics; social investment; social innovation.

Graduated from: Università degli Studi di Bologna (BA and MA).

Degrees obtained: BA in International relations and Diplomatic affairs; MA in Politics, Administration and Organization (curriculum: Politics and Social Policy)

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