National funds handed out to the regions for social assistance to cover local services, has in fact, diminished passing from more than 3 billion in 2008 to 229 million Euros in 2012 with a U-turn registered in the last two years ( approximately 1 billion this year). The fund, set aside for these purposes, has gradually decreased by a billion and a half in 2008 to almost zero (equivalent to 10 million) in 2012, to be increased again this year to about 300 million. In other words, according to data compiled by the Department for Social Welfare Policies of the Cisl (trade-union), the performance in the next two years will be quite poor : the forecast for structural funds in 2015 will barely account for 294 million and even less about 194 million Euors in 2016.
And yet, if one had to take a glimpse to the past history of municipalities, one would not find any unexpected surprises. One could find at the most, some ‘illuminated’ Mayor or Governor that has had the guts to face up to it personally. Even so, ‘inequality’ is the “Monster” that families are forced to face up to every day. The trend in municipal expenditure on social services – about 15% of the total – is in fact ever more declining by 2.5% between 2009 and 2012, and amounts to around 7 billion and 700 million in 2012 (with lowest peaks in reduction of a quarter in the regions of Calabria and a fifth in Campania). That accounts for less than 130 Euros per year for every citizen. Social expenditure, however, is decreasing in spite of a slight upturn in four years of total current expenditure. Thus, according to the social-index-trend forecasted by Cisl (it is equal to the ratio on total expenditure and social expenditure), the municipalities have reduced their share of expenditure on welfare from 15.4 percent in the municipal year 2009 to 14.7% in 2012. Even so, total expenditure in those years has seen a decrease by 4.4%.
Many other conclusions may be drawn however. Emanuele Padovani, Professor of Public Management at the University of Bologna, among experts who have thoroughly looked into the issue of municipal budgets, has systemised them. At the end of his analysis on local accounts, he thus stresses that “where municipalities pay greater attention to local welfare, they generally enjoy good financial health”, although, there is mainly an incompatibility between welfare and accounts marked red. So local municipalities that are in good financial health are those who have higher social performance (1126), like many of those who anyhow have their accounts in red (1128) and who have a low social performance. However, the cause-effect relationship is debatable: in other words whether the direction goes from more austerity thus more welfare or vice-versa. Perhaps, it is more likely, as the Professor from Bologna speculates: “there are other causes that generate multiple welfare and more austerity in the budget.”. Nevertheless, it is evident, that not only is there no compatablity between these two elements, that often, in popular talk and politics are often in juxtaposition. “Indeed, austerity in accounts – he concludes – seems an ever present element in those virtuous situations in other words where there is more attention placed on welfare”.
‘The good ones and the bad ones’. For once, the usual divisions between the north and the south of Italy do not exist. In the list of more ‘virtuous’ territories for example, Puglia, ranks as the only region that has in recent years, substantially increased its municipal social expenditure to more than 14%. An average downturn of almost one percentage point per anum of resources allocated by municipalities to needy families and the elderly has been registered. However, municipal expenditure peaks, spread throughout the country, register -26.6 in regions of Calabria and Campania -19%. Downward trends in the regions, further to Puglia as mentioned above, also Lazio (+9.9%), Friuli-Venezia Giulia (+8.3%) and Sardinia (+4). Moreover, even areas considered among the best for services in Italy, like Lombardy, have witnessed the social expenditure on the decline over the last 4 years i.e. 2009-2012 by 5.5%. Generally speaking, however, a majority of municipalities in the southern regions allocate less funds to social welfar:e in fact, in Molise, Calabria, Basilicata and Campania social expenditure remains under 8%. On the other hand, it may not be diffiult to see how allocations to social expenditure are very variable throughout the entire geographical regions.
Translation provided by Marina Stronati
