Innovative methodologies for the design and evaluation of inclusion policies

Through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), the European Commission has provided technical support to the Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations, in cooperation with the Autonomous Regions, in view of increasing the effectiveness of minimum income policies, and building more integrated inclusion itineraries for minimum income beneficiaries and other vulnerable groups.

Context

Spain has a high share of the working age population at risk of poverty or social exclusion, and a high incidence of child poverty. While Spain has introduced a minimum income at the national level (“Ingreso Mínimo Vital”), social inclusion policies are the responsibility of the Autonomous Regions.

At present, the coverage of minimum income schemes remains comparatively low, and there are many differences in the design and implementation of social inclusion policies across regions, especially as a number of regions have not adopted their own social inclusion strategies. There is also a lack of a multi-dimensional approach to social inclusion.

Support delivered

The technical support was delivered through the following activities: diagnostic assessment, to take stock of inclusion barriers faced by the intended beneficiaries of minimum income schemes; mapping of existing inclusion models in selected regions; assessment of the suitability of different models for tackling key inclusion barriers in Spain; development of options for a new inclusion model in line with agreed-upon inclusion objectives, and taking into account international best practices; and provision of concrete guidance to improve the monitoring and evaluation of social inclusion policies.

Results achieved

The project is expected to support the effectiveness of social inclusion policies in Spain, through the provision of concrete recommendations to improve the coverage and take-up rates of income support schemes, on the one hand, and ensure a more integrated delivery of services across sectors and layers of the administration, on the other.

Useful links

• Official reports:  Boosting Social Inclusion in Spain: Improving Pathways and Co-ordination of Services | en | OECD

More about the project

You can read the final report here: