Company-Based Welfare in Italy: Multi-Stakeholder Networks for Bridging the Gap between Large and Small-Medium Enterprises?

Abstract Over the last decade, in most Western countries, welfare states have faced increasing challenges due to several socioeconomic and cultural transformations. The economic crisis and austerity measures adopted in the aftermath of these challenges have increased the number of vulnerable people. Against this backdrop, this article aims to shed light on the development of company-based welfare in Italy by focusing specifically on the gap between large and small-medium enterprises and on emerging solutions addressed to fill this gap through the constitution of locally rooted, multi-actor networks. How do they originate? What are their main features? What contribution can they make to defusing the dualization between large, medium and small companies and workers? After reviewing these research questions, a description of the development of company-based welfare in Italy is provided in the first part of the article. We then describe and compare four local welfare networks, including small and medium enterprises, by looking at both their genetic and constitutive elements and their outputs.