Home care for the elderly in Sweden, Germany and Italy: a case of multi – level governance strategy making

Home care is a policy field characterized by strong interdependencies and multi-level governance. In such a setting, decision and strategy making are complex, with interrelated governance mechanisms between the private and public actors involved and the risk of lack of a clear and sharp definition of public strategies contents, especially in multi-level settings. In this article we are interested in understanding “if and how” multi-level governance structures influence planning and strategic contents in the home care, and more in general, social care field. Through the analysis of home care services for the elderly in three prominent European countries, the article highlights the critical dimensions that should be taken into consideration in such contexts that are: users selection, services features, coordination and funding mechanisms, provision forms. These dimensions turn out to be representative of the strategic processes undergoing in multi-level settings.