ABSTRACT
This article discusses the effects of regional decentralization on the Italian welfare state, focusing on the development of social assistance policies in the different parts of the country. The analysis of the legislation passed by the regions over the past twenty years suggests, first, that the North–South cleavage obtains and, second, that politics matters. While in most southern regions an archaic system of poverty relief is dominant, the centre-north is characterized largely by a modern system of social services. However, the differences in the performance of regional governments cannot be fully explained by referring exclusively to historical legacy. It must also take account of political variables. In the final section these findings are discussed in a comparative perspective.
