L'Assegno di inclusione e l'Assegno unico e universale per i figli

In recent years, Italy has introduced significant innovations in the field of cash transfers to families, particularly with two new measures: the Inclusion Allowance (Assegno di inclusione) and the Universal Child Benefit (Assegno unico e universale per i figli). After a description of the evolution of poverty and inequality indicators in Italy over the past fifteen years, this paper analyzes the effects of these two reforms. We describe the key features and early distributional impacts of the Inclusion Allowance, which replaced the Citizenship Income, and examine how its beneficiaries compare with families in absolute poverty. We then review the Universal Child Benefit reform, evaluating its redistributive effects and its role in aligning Italy with European standards in the field of cash transfers to families with children. The analysis highlights some setbacks, some progress and areas where improvements can be made.