Abstract

Social programs are getting a relevant importance as a consequence of an increasing demand of social protection by the citizens. In Italy, in the last decade, a process of decentralization of tasks from the state to local governments has affected social policies, leading to a higher level of selectivity in the targeting of beneficiaries. The instrument mainly used to select the recipients of social services and measure the tariff attributed to beneficiaries has been a means test which evaluate the economic welfare of the candidate called "Indicatore della Situazione Economica Equivalente" (ISEE). This paper examines the variables used for the computation of ISEE (income, fortune, equivalence scales) and proposes some corrections in order to give to this instrument higher degrees of equity and efficiency, especially in determining the household welfare.