ABSTRACT
The next part of this book examines three countries that are each characterised first by what we have termed ‘atomistic cultures’ and secondly by ‘laissez-faire’ policy regimes. To a greater or lesser extent, Italy, Spain and the Republic of Ireland all share a particular view of state intervention and the role of informal networks in meeting family or wider social objectives. The importance attached to family (as an ‘agent of social welfare’ according to Padovani and Vettoretto) and either the informality of some policy or the outright rejection of regulation, are key cultural and political aspects of life in these countries.
