Towards inclusive service delivery through social investment in Italy. An analysis five sectors with particular focus on health care.

This report examines trends in social investment in Italy following the financial crisis of 2007/8. The first section considers social investment in relation to four policy areas: early childhood education and care, housing, financial services and water. The second part of the report provides an overview of social investment and disinvestment trends in the healthcare system in Italy since the 1990s. This section includes a detailed account of service users’ and professionals’ experiences of the impact of liberalisation and austerity measures on health service delivery drawing on qualitative data collection. Throughout the report we identify policy recommendations to address the effects and impacts of emergent trends towards social disinvestment and liberalisation of public services. This study is part of the wider pan-European RE-InVEST project to investigate the impact of the EU Social Investment package on marginalised groups since the 2007 crisis