Tuscany Region introduces mutual obligation policy for welfare recipients. Sant’Anna School Dirpolis Institute (Law, Politics and Development) academic staff cooperated in writing regional policy requiring welfare recipients to give back to society

It is a ‘mandatory volunteering’ in return for the benefits received from social welfare programs. Elena Vivaldi, as the coordinator of the Research Area Power (Politics, Research, Regulations) of the Dirpolis Institute and Elena Innocenti of the Foundation  Fondazione Emanuela Zancan - Padova, under the supervision of Emanuele Rossi, Sant’Anna School Professor of Constitutional Law,  have worked with Tuscany Region Council representatives to write the “Fair Reciprocity” regional law issued 25 February 2020.

The rule making process started in December 2019 hearing researchers Vivaldi and Innocenti on mandatory volunteering consistency with the October 2019 community-based regional health plan. 

Social welfare programs will be based on voluntary reciprocity in return for received welfare benefits. A fair policy will require individuals to participate in society through volunteering as a matter of redistribution, civic engagement and solidarity.

Welfare recipients are therefore required to give back to society in return for their benefits. For instance, the recipients of health services and social care or unemployed people who received social benefit payments can engage in educational and environmental volunteering or in the field of civil protection.