Abstract

In summer 2017 Italy has finally introduced a national minimum income scheme, named Reddito d'Inclusione (REI). Its establishment is to be appraised from a twofold perspective. On the one hand, it is an historical achievement for a country where the introduction of a national safety net has been advocated for decades. On the other hand, the current funding constraints make it still categorical with respect to coverage and inadequate with respect to both the level of the cash benefits and the provision of services in kind. The note presents the REI's main features and highlights the further steps to take in order to turn it into a universal and adequate scheme.