Top Down Policies Don't Work Very Well

CONCERTED ACTION WITH SOCIAL ACTORS IS NEEDED FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY SUPPORT SYSTEM TO PRODUCE RESULTS FROM A DEMOGRAPHIC POINT OF VIEW. FURTHERMORE, GOOD WELFARE POLICIES IN PRIVATE COMPANIES EXIST, BUT THEY ARE STILL TOO FEW

by Nicolo' Cavalli, Assistant Professor at the Department of Social and Political Sciences
Translated by Alex Foti

The need of an effective social governance, i.e., a principle of concerted coordination among social actors, becomes apparent when the governmental approach, relying on political command and the power of the law, begins to falter. In Italy, few arenas make the failure of the principle of government more glaringly apparent than in the area of the policies meant to support fertility and parents. Year after year, different governments have experimented with an efflorescence of initiatives aimed at offering the correct policy mix to support young adults and new households, with the ultimate goal of fostering the ever-low birth rates recorded in the country in recent decades. Over time, these initiatives have included the so-called Baby Bonus (bonus bebè) introduced in 2013, the Family Act of 2016, the 2017 strengthening of maternity and paternity leaves, with incentives for fathers to take longer parental leaves, the Nursery Bonus in 2018, as well as several attempts at extending these policies in the aftermath of Covid-19. Nevertheless, Italian fertility has kept decreasing, reaching the record low of 393,333 new births in 2022, when, for the first year in history, fewer than 400,000 babies were born. ISTAT, Italy’s national statistics agency forecasts that, by 2050, the country’s population will decline by about 5 million, shrinking to 45.8 million people by 2080.

ISTAT forecasts, which for the first time have incorporated qualitative expert opinions following an important recent methodological update in the Institute’s population projections, underscores the structural and long-term nature of this demographic change. Against this backdrop, even the new set of policies most recently announced by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with the explicit objective of increasing fertility, are highly likely to miss their intended mark. As noted by lavoce.info, these measures are likely to be underfunded and too narrow in scope, as they target mainly higher-order births (families with 2 or more children) without addressing the broader need for universalistic services and structural reforms. Higher fertility is desirable not only because demography ultimately governs the long-run economic dynamics of a country, but also, and possibly mainly, because transitioning towards parenthood still remains key in people's desires and life goals. Instead, the young (and less young) in Italy today struggle to achieve their own family goals, in ways that are deeply affecting the country’s future population makeup.

Given the inadequacies of government policies to reverse this trend, ever more frequently, a phenomenon is observed, with social actors organizing themselves to provide the needed support in people’s lives. Initiatives by firms to support families are becoming more common​: among these, Barilla extended the paternity leave to 12 full-pay weeks, showcasing a commitment to gender equity and support for new parents. Kellogg Italia focuses on supporting employees through for example treatments for fertility and menopause, offering paid leave and flexible working arrangements without requiring medical certificates, respecting privacy. Crédit Agricole Italia is subsidizing nursery fees for employees' toddlers, addressing a crucial period for children and parents. Such initiatives illustrate a shift towards creating more inclusive and supportive work environments, emphasizing the importance of parental support in enhancing employee well-being and equality. Italian companies have historically lagged behind other countries in corporate welfare; therefore, these steps are more than welcome towards closing the long-standing service gap with respect to children, parents and parents to be. At the same time, an ever-deeper attention of researchers is needed at this juncture, to fully understand the effects of these policies within and beyond these first movers, and to keep the alert high on the need of universalistic solutions to support the difficult life course transitions and the fulfilment of family ideals experienced by the young, the unemployed and the underemployed, as well as those living the deprived areas of the country.