This book analyzes national anti-poverty measures at a local level via a set of unique and up-to-date empirical studies of minimum income support schemes and activation measures in five European cities.

1. A move towards the local? The relevance of a local welfare system approach; Håkan Johansson and Alexandru Panican 2. The local welfare system as a scale question; Simone Scarpa3. Conceptualising local welfare systems: exploring the role of actors and governance arrangements; Håkan Johansson and Max Koch4. Combating poverty through ‘active inclusion’? The European and national contexts; Daniel Clegg  5. Strategies against poverty and social exclusion in a corporatist–conservative local welfare system: The Dortmund consensus; Dorothee Spannagel 6. Anti-poverty activities in a liberal welfare model: Local levers and multi-level tensions in Glasgow, UK; Hayley Bennett7. Strategies against poverty in a Social democratic local welfare system: still the responsibility of public actors?; Alexandru Panican and Håkan Johansson 8. Active inclusion in a Southern European local welfare system: Combining fragmentation and public–private partnership in Turin; Franca Maino9. Poland’ active inclusion model - still in transition? The case of public agencies’ tensions and emerging role of CSOs in Radom; Julia Kubisa and Justyna Zielińska10. Worlds of active inclusion at the local level: a comparative analysis; Alexandru Panican and Anna Angelin11. Concluding remarks: Exploring the consequences of scale and place for local active inclusion strategies; 

“In this fascinating book, Johansson and Panican, together with ten prominent scholars of social policy, social work, sociology, urban studies and political science, provide a multi-disciplinary review and analysis of how, in the last two decades, welfare systems and welfare provision have become more and more local, as opposed to national – that is to say, local authorities are seen as responsible for the planning and provision of welfare services.” (Avner De Shalit, Journal of Social Policy, Vol. 48 (1), January, 2019)

“This volume provides an excellent comparative analysis on the implications of the growing relevance of local welfare systems in Europe. It avoids the “local trap” and using the local as an entry point, disentangles the complex web of multi-layered social policy arrangements against poverty. It avoids the “convergence rhetoric trap” embedding local changes in their contexts. A necessary read to critically unveil the issues at stake.” (Yuri Kazepov, University of Vienna, Austria) “This book takes us beyond the realm of minimum income protection and statutory safety nets by exploring the "thick" nature of local welfare systems. What emerges from the various chapters is a fascinating picture of grass-root experiments to fight poverty and exclusion, involving a multitude of actors and resources. At the local level, the echo of national regime feature does remain, but it leaves ample room for innovation and hybridization of goals and instruments. A rich and original volume, whichprovides precious insights to both academic and policy debates.” (Maurizio Ferrera, University of Milan, Italy)

"This volume provides an excellent comparative analysis on the implications of the growing relevance of local welfare systems in Europe. It avoids the "local trap" and using the local as an entry point, disentangles the complex web of multi-layered social policy arrangements against poverty. It avoids the "convergence rhetoric trap" embedding local changes in their contexts. A necessary read to critically unveil the issues at stake." (Yuri Kazepov, University of Vienna, Austria) "This book takes us beyond the realm of minimum income protection and statutory safety nets by exploring the "thick" nature of local welfare systems. What emerges from the various chapters is a fascinating picture of grass-root experiments to fight poverty and exclusion, involving a multitude of actors and resources. At the local level, the echo of national regime feature does remain, but it leaves ample room for innovation and hybridization of goals and instruments. A rich and original volume, which provides precious insights to both academic and policy debates." (Maurizio Ferrera, University of Milan, Italy)