The Multi-level Governance of Child Poverty. How Is Italy Countering this Phenomenon through the Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of MLG

In Italy, in 2020 1.3 million children live in absolute poverty. A number which has kept growing in the past decade and which got worse due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Research shows how investing in children is a crucial strategy to promote a fair and sustainable society. Despite the vast presence of instruments and strategies to tackle child poverty, such as the UN CRC, this seems to remain an issue both at the national and international level. For this reason, it is relevant to understand how countries, in this case Italy, is tackling child poverty from a multi-level governance perspective. The objective is to make an analysis of the interaction and coordination of the different actors among the different levels, both vertically and horizontally. In particular, also the role of NGOs will be analyzed, specifically on Save the Children Italy and its contribution to the fight against child poverty.