Abstract

This article summarises the main contents of the 2022 Report on the Welfare State edited by F. R. Pizzuti, M. Raitano, and M. Tancioni. First, the socio-economic effects of the crisis that followed the Covid-19 pandemic are discussed, focusing on the impact exerted on the performance of economic systems, the policies that followed, the process of European construction, and economic theories themselves. The essential features of European and Italian welfare states are then discussed, offering some insights into the response and resilience of the system in the face of the economic and social crisis induced by the pandemic. Finally, the Italian pension system is discussed, and, after highlighting its main critical issues, some policy proposals are recalled