Abstract

The removal of the «Reddito di Cittadinanza» (RdC) by the center-right government led by Giorgia Meloni, comes after several debates and harsh criticisms on this policy, both between and within the main Italian political parties. There were therefore many expectations surrounding the reform of the Italian minimum income scheme and the introduction of the new measure, the «Assegno di Inclusione» (ADI). The characteristics of ADI follow closely the footsteps of the RdC, with a significant exception: the attempt to exclude the «able bodied» from the pool of possible beneficiaries. As a consequence, the amount of social expenditure and its impact on poverty alleviation will fall. Italy will once again become the last country in Western Europe to be without a minimum income scheme addressed to all the poor.