Gli accordi internazionali di "sicurezza sociale" e la questione delle politiche sociali alle origini della costruzione europea (1947-1956)

The essay deals about the role of Italy in the beginning and development of an international labour legislation. Focusing both on the roots and the crossroads represented by the hard After War period, it underlines the “social footprint” of European integration process. In the XIXth century the pressure of political and social forces and entrepreneurs emerged to reduce the risks of “social dumping” by introducing some minimum work rules. After the early bilateral agreements in social matters, also Italy contributed to the rise of the first international labour organizations and participated to the International Labour Organization (Ilo) from 1919 to 1935 . After WW2 Italian government and political forces devoted important efforts to protection of migrant workers. At the same time, Italy pressed the projects of European integration to characterize them in a more social manner. At a theoretical level, this research shows that the opposition between liberalization (in international relations) and regulation and welfare policies (into domestic boundaries) isn’t sustainable. It supports the hypothesis of a lung-run convergence between market policies and welfare policies also in the broader European context.