Social assistance in Southern Europe

This article summarizes social assistance programmes and outcomes in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey drawing material from a comparative study of OECD countries. A distinct social assistance regime is identified, characterized by the absence of a national minimum income safety net with categorical schemes for the aged and local discretionary relief for most other groups. Benefits are low or non‐existent and out of line with the rest of Europe. These characteristics are explained in terms of their common structural features and political processes. It is argued that fundamental reforms are unlikely owing to the marginality of social assistance programmes in southern Europe.