Citizenship Income. Operational Manual

di Nicoletta Baracchini, Emilio Gregori and Giovanni Viganò
November 21, 2025

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The introduction of the Citizens’ Income has given shape and structure to the shift undertaken by our country in poverty reduction policies, following the launch of the Inclusion Income. More than a shift, it has been a true epoch-making revolution, comparable to the creation of the National Health Service and the closure of psychiatric hospitals. This revolution is the result of a long path of experiments and setbacks, involving governments of different political colours over the last twenty years, and fits into an Italian cultural context that is still strongly tied to the idea of assistance as a mere monetary transfer from the state, and perhaps still unprepared for the logic of “poverty reduction,” “conditionality,” and “active inclusion.”

Much has been said about the new measure, both for and against, by politicians, journalists, pundits, and experts, generating confusion not only among citizens but also among technicians and professionals.

The purpose of this manual is to explain and clarify the new measure in its entirety, systematising all the information and knowledge necessary for a correct interpretation of its stable framework and regulatory structure, with particular reference to the innovations introduced and the operational and organisational implications for local territories and public and private entities. This is the approach that has guided the exposition of the various topics, including those seemingly of narrow interest only to final users. More specifically, the authors aim to provide operators in vocational training, orientation services, employment agencies, social services, and assistance to socially disadvantaged people with all the basic tools needed for a full understanding of the regulatory frameworks connected to the Citizens’ Income.