This book is a study of the increasing territorial variations in the development of
sub-national welfare systems that have occurred as an effect of the decentralization of health
care and social assistance policies in Italy Spain and Great Britain. The author examines the
political factors that underlie these variations by combining cross-regional and cross-country
comparisons using mixed methods. Vampa's main finding is that regionalist parties have played a
key role in sub-national welfare building and have used social policy to strengthen their
legitimacy in the political struggle against central authorities. In this context functional
political competition between Left and Right has been partly replaced by territorial
competition between Centre and Periphery as the main determinant of social policy making.
Additionally mainstream left-wing parties have been torn between maintaining territorial
uniformity in social protection and responding to demands for more extensive social services
tailored to the needs and preferences of specific regional communities. This book will be of
use to academics and policy makers interested in political economy devolution decentralisation
welfare and party politics.
