Meccanismi di impoverimento e conoscenza: una riflessione a partire dall’implementazione del Reddito di Cittadinanza a Modena.

The objective of this paper is threefold. Firstly, the objective is to delineate the poverty profiles identified in an economically affluent yet inequitable income distribution territory situated within a regional context of «advanced» welfare. Secondly, it seeks to enter into the multidimensionality of impoverishment processes through the combination of multiple informational bases. Finally, the paper furnishes theoretical insights into the knowledge modalities and processes that inform public policies. A mixed approach was adopted for data collection and analysis: alongside the quantitative analysis of the available database, interviews and focus groups were conducted with the entire operational team. The work comprised three levels of analysis, starting from an integrated database collected for operational purposes. The initial quantitative analysis results in the profiling of persons and households receiving benefits according to demographic variables. The second level of in-depth analysis (quantitative) facilitates the provision of detailed profiles, addressing the diverse non-economic requirements of the measure, as evidenced by the intensity and differentiation of needs during the delivery process. In conclusion, the material collected during the focus groups enabled the mechanisms underlying certain needs within the highlighted profiles to be elucidated.