Abstract

The article retraces the story of the journal «Autonomie locali e servizi sociali» from its foundation until nowadays. In so doing, it discusses the spirit animating the editors at the birth of the journal, as well as the evolutions that the review has undergone through during the following four decades to cope with a changed socio- historical and institutional scenario. Progressively acquiring a clearly academic nature and sociological identity, the review has sought to always remain attentive and open also to multidisciplinary and operative perspectives on the welfare state and its evolutions at the European, national and local levels.