The social investment challenge and young Italians

‘Social investment’ is one of the most important bywords in contemporary European social policies, as it forms the foundation of the current Europe 2020 strategy. Empirical applications of social investment policies have been mostly oriented to foster supply-side policies, with the explicit aim of increasing the employability of the workforce, its human capital and its activation. This chapter discusses why Italy exemplifies worst practice for social investment policies, directing special consideration to the condition of young people. It presents data relating to the Italian labour market, highlighting its peculiar performance in terms of young workers’ integration. Young people are usually considered outsiders in relation to the labour market, because as a social group they are particularly exposed to social risks relating to the post-industrial transition. The Italian context also places many constraints on the beneficial application of social investment policies.