The Tuscany Region (Italy) has put on the field an advanced attempt to promote a new integrated approach and structure at governing the Health and Assistance Systems at local level. Above the main issues at stake, one of the most intriguing is the attempt to build Participation Committees at promoting social participation in governing, delivering and evaluating local social policies. The paper aims at discussing the problems of participation implied in the experiment, where some contradictory issues are at stake. First, against a strong rhetoric discourse, not many are the methodological concerns really tackled by the responsible institutions. Second, the attempt at distinguishing the role of citizens and social rights groups, by the one of third sector organisations implied in the public services management, appears full of cultural and political constraints. Third, the contingency of the economic crisis are threatening the innovative process, claiming to find urgent answers to the daily problems and putting into a corner the participation issues and expectations, in so far often perceived as non-central or ephemeral ones. Methodologically, the paper discuss the different approaches on participation under way resorting to a logical-formal approach and considering evaluation as a focal point, stemming from the double hypothesis that, the way the evaluation is put in practice depicts an indicator of the kind and rate of possible participation and that it is a key-concept and mean to change the ordinary relations of mutual influence in a given context.
Unveiling rhetoric, promoting social practices:the problem of participation in the new Tuscany welfare system
TOMEI, GABRIELE;VILLA, MATTEO
2010-01-01
Abstract
The Tuscany Region (Italy) has put on the field an advanced attempt to promote a new integrated approach and structure at governing the Health and Assistance Systems at local level. Above the main issues at stake, one of the most intriguing is the attempt to build Participation Committees at promoting social participation in governing, delivering and evaluating local social policies. The paper aims at discussing the problems of participation implied in the experiment, where some contradictory issues are at stake. First, against a strong rhetoric discourse, not many are the methodological concerns really tackled by the responsible institutions. Second, the attempt at distinguishing the role of citizens and social rights groups, by the one of third sector organisations implied in the public services management, appears full of cultural and political constraints. Third, the contingency of the economic crisis are threatening the innovative process, claiming to find urgent answers to the daily problems and putting into a corner the participation issues and expectations, in so far often perceived as non-central or ephemeral ones. Methodologically, the paper discuss the different approaches on participation under way resorting to a logical-formal approach and considering evaluation as a focal point, stemming from the double hypothesis that, the way the evaluation is put in practice depicts an indicator of the kind and rate of possible participation and that it is a key-concept and mean to change the ordinary relations of mutual influence in a given context.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
