A generative welfare is needed for shaping the new welfare

Objectives: We developed an approach called “generative welfare”, a “welfare” system that, after collecting fiscal resources and while redistributing them, becomes able to re-generate them and get a return out of... [ view full abstract ]

Objectives:
We developed an approach called “generative welfare”, a “welfare” system that, after collecting fiscal resources and while redistributing them, becomes able to re-generate them and get a return out of them, by systematically making users responsible for individual and social outcomes. Such an approach was firstly proposed in 2012 in the report on poverty and social exclusion. The leading idea is “I cannot help you without you”: this would potentially allow the welfare system to become more effective in helping people, also creating a more solidary society.
The issues related to the “generative welfare” approach inspired a research involving a group of families in poverty.

Method:
Families were selected according to three main criteria: 1) having one or more minor children; 2) being poor in economic terms; and 3) facing difficulties in at least one of the following areas: family, work, health, education, house, justice.
Interviews were conducted with “vulnerable” families, aiming at collecting information through a semi-structured questionnaire (open-ended questions and Likert scales) with respect to:
a. the main difficulties the family is facing and the level of severity of these problems;
b. any type of support received by the family from public administrations and private organisations and the perceived utility of such support, as well as any type of support the family needs but is not receiving and the severity of not having received such support;
c. the “intangible” resources (strengths, i.e. capabilities, competences, knowledge, …) that one or more members of the family possess and are using or could use either for the benefit of their family or for the benefit of other people (friends, neighbours, others) who are in need of help. All answers collected were recorded and processed anonymously.

Results:
The research involved 277 families in 7 cities (Turin, Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples, Bari and Palermo). It turns out that work-related problems affect almost 9 out of 10 households. House-related and health problems affect more than half of the families, while family problems concern more than one third (38%) of households. More than 1 in 5 families (21%) exhibit justice problems, slightly less than 1 in 6 express education problems. As regards support received by families, it turns out that almost 3 out of 4 families receive economic support. More than 6 in 10 households state they receive material goods. Lower shares of the interviewed families receive services of some type.
Besides focusing on the problems of the families and the different forms of support they can count on, the research also investigated the strengths that each family may possess, although to a different extent. These resources may first of all be used “inwards”: capabilities, knowledge, competences that are or could be employed by parents or children to help their own family. The vast majority of families (87%) claim to possess one or more of these kind of resources. Some resources may also be employed for the benefit of other people/organisations outside the family (“outward” resources).

Conclusions
The research highlighted the importance of recognising capabilities, competences, knowledge that people possess and may employ for the benefit of themselves, their own family and the whole society. A key role in valuing the resources of “vulnerable” people should be played by professionals (e.g. social workers).
Professionals working with vulnerable families may start new “generative” practices requiring them to analyse the various resources of “the poor” – both parents and children – instead of mainly (or exclusively) focusing on their needs. This would lead to a more “generative” and more sustainable welfare system, as well as to communities relying on higher levels of solidarity and mutual support.